When Worlds Collide
by Kody Wright
Summary: A young doctor from modern time is trapped in the past. She stumbles across the Pony Express in Rock Creek and finds a bittersweet reception by the towns' people. Rachel Dunne befriends her as the doctor questions her own sanity. And Jimmy wonders if he can change his own future before it's too late. OC - doctor, T for swearing. PS - I got my dates slightly off. Sorry.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**Modern Day, Nebraska **

Saint Mary's Hospital was home to the small city it was named after. The hospital was rather small compared to large city hospitals but it catered to a more low key population. The ER was staffed with many nurses, technicians and a new young doctor named Frankie Peterman who jumped at the chance to take up residency at the small town hospital.

Frankie loved the outdoors, the large scenic views of the Midwest and was also a bit of a history buff and the towns' rich history was one of many things that attracted her to the job.

Dr. Peterman stood in blue scrubs, wearing a white lab coat as she filled out the paperwork from her shift before starting her long overdue vacation. She flicked her shoulder length brown hair back from her big brown eyes and adjusted her glasses. She was tired but also excited for her vacation was mere minutes away.

Another ER doctor approached her; he was a tall black man wearing blue scrubs as well. He served in the wars in the Middle East and welcomed his chance to finally come back home. He too was in his residency and most called him by his nickname of "Serge," short of Sergeant…His rank during his military days.

Serge noticed Frankie was in a hurry; he asked, "Going somewhere special, Frankie? Hot date?"

She grinned, "My vacation starts in two minutes, Serge."

"Ah," he nodded, "Where you off too? Some beachside resort?"

She shook her head, "Mountain biking!"

His jaw dropped, "Say what?"

She grinned, "I'm going on a two week trip on my bike in the mountains. I'm going to ride the old Pony Express trail."

He gave a funny look, "You're going to ride your bike on the old Pony Express trail for your vacation?"

She nodded eagerly, "Yup…I'm going to camping out on the trial and going to a few towns. I hear Rock Creek has this really neat tourist attraction. They have this mock town where everyone dresses up like the old west. It's a living museum…Cool, huh?"

Serge shook his head, "No…Not cool. Cool would be a cruise. Cool would be going to an island. Riding your bike on an old abandoned trail and going to a mock Wild West town is…Well…Lame."

She rolled her eyes, "You're no fun."

He cautioned her, "You know there are wild animals and snakes on that trial."

She nodded, "I got a first aid kit with some anti-venom, medications, and my phone…Everything I need."

Serge added, "Bring a gun."

She whimpered, "Yeah, I got a twenty-two."

He huffed, "Bring a real gun."

She gave a salute, "Aye, aye, Captain."

"I'm serious," he warned. "There are mountain lions and predators out there. Take your Sig."

"The 380?" she asked. "But I get better range with my 22 lever action."

"Fine, take both," suggested Serge. "Just that little 22 isn't gonna stop a big cat coming to eat you."

"Alright,' she agreed reluctantly. She looked at her watch, "Yes…I am out of here."

Serge sighed, "Have fun pedaling your ass off."

"I will," she shot a grin and then handed her paper work to him. "Have fun with room eight. He needs a prostate check."

"Wonderful," the young doctor complained.

She gave a final grin and then headed out the door to start her much needed vacation.

**Later**

So far her vacation had been going smoothly. She was riding her bike towards the historic town of Rock Creek. She pedaled the speckled blue mountain bike down the trail most of the day until dusk and decided to stop and set up camp. Frankie wasn't much for being alone, she really was not a loner but she found very few people shared her interest to bike the old trail and thus ended up riding it all alone.

Her clothing was conservative in nature, a red tank top under a tan shirt and matching shorts. She wore a brown baseball cap over her hair. Tied around her neck was a red bandana to help keep the sun off. Her nose was pasted with sun block.

She set up a small pup tent that she carried in her bikes saddle bags. She then made a small fire and dug her dehydrated camping food out of her backpack and prepared it. After dinner she placing her rifle and bike near the tent, and then settled in for a good nights' sleep.

In the middle for the night she was awoken by thunder and lightning. She opened the tent and looked outside as lightning bolts erupted around her. It was the most bizarre storm for there was no rain or wind. The bolts of lightning were reddish and blue in color. The air seemed electric. She didn't what to make of the strange storm but went outside to lay her bike flat along with the rifle. Fearing she could be struck by the lightning, she laid herself down in a small hollow on the ground close to her campfire pit. She pressed herself flat against the ground and hoped the bizarre storm would end soon.

**1860, Nebraska Territory**

Frankie awoke the next morning from the long and very strange lightning storm she had endured and got up from the hollow. She found her camp just the way she left it. Nothing had changed. She decided to get to town sooner rather than later after the wired storm. She skipped breakfast and started to break down camp and pack up her things while debating if she should end her trip early.

**Rock Creek**

Later that morning Marshal Teaspoon Hunter leaned against the post before his office. He held a coffee cup in his thick fingers and looked about as the townspeople sprang to life with their daily chores. He watched as riders and wagons went up and down the street. He noticed women and children walking about the local shops on that fine Saturday morning.

Something caught his eye in the distance. He stood stared at the strange person riding a very strange contraption into town. He squinted at Frankie wondering just who this stranger was and what was she riding. Her clothing was most reveling of the leg from the thigh to the ankle. She wore a funny looking cap to his estimation and the most bizarre white cream upon the bridge of her nose.

Frankie rode her bike into the town and stopped. She looked about and boy did that living museum look authentic to her. She was most impressed by all the horses and wagons. Her fears from the horrible storm she endured the night before melted as she grew excited by the living museum.

Teaspoon called out from his perch, "Can I help you…Miss?"

Frankie looked over at him; she spotted the badge and assumed he was an actor. She dismounted her bike and walked it over to the walkway and greeted him.

"Morning," she smiled. "Wow, this place is cool."

Teaspoon lifted an eyebrow and puckered in thought; he replied, "It's going to be warm today, miss."

"Oh?" she asked. "I didn't get the weather forecast. Warm? Cool."

Teaspoon was now even more confused than before, "Warm is not cool." He looked her up and down. "Those are some mighty interesting trousers you got there, miss."

She glanced down at herself, "Oh, they are zip ons. So, are you the Marshal?"

He greeted her with a tip of the hat, "Teaspoon Hunter."

She stuck out her hand, "Frankie Peterman…Doctor Frankie Peterman… Pleasure."

Teaspoon shook the hand but still wasn't sure how to interact with this very strange woman; he asked, "You're a doctor?"

"ER resident," she informed. She glanced around again, "This place is so cool. I can't believe how authentic it looks. Boy, you guys have quiet the tourist trap here."

"Tourist trap?" he asked still unsure.

She grinned, "Yeah, way cool. So, do you have a hotel where I can rent a room for the night? After last night's storm…I'm not thrilled about camping."

"What storm?" he pondered. "There is a hotel down the street to your left, miss"

"Thank you, Marshal," she gave a nod and then started to walk her bike further down the street.

Teaspoon stood back and watched. He wondered if he should follow her or not. He wasn't sure to make of the bizarre stranger. He would keep an eye on her but from a distance.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As Frankie pushed her bike through town everyone took a second look at the strange girl walking through town in short trousers, wearing a funny hat and sporting a glob of white cream on her nose. Needless to say she not only turned heads she became the center of attention as people gawked and stared at her.

From Frankie's perspective she thought the town had taken the western theme to the extreme. She noticed all the talking and pointing and thought that it was part of an act. She assumed everyone was a paid actor and as part of the experience would be to mock the tourist.

She walked into the local hotel. It was a large two story grey building. Inside the establishment was a large front wooden counter and fine furniture for the guest to enjoy. She walked up to the counter to check in.

A very well dressed woman stood at the counter. She was tall, had dark hair neatly placed up in a bun on top of her head. She wore heavily applied cosmetics and a velvet green dress with brass buttons.

She looked upon the stranger and asked ever so properly, "Can I help you, miss?"

Frankie assumed it was part of the act; she smiled brightly and nodded, "I would like to rent a room for the night."

"That will be ten cents," the woman informed. She then gathered a pen and placed a register book before Frankie.

Frankie gave a funny look and pondered, "That's all?" However Frankie had no cash and only credit cards with her for security sake. She dug her wallet out of her back pack pocket and removed a plastic card. "You take credit?"

The woman gasped, "I do not extended credit lines to the guest...Cash only."

"Okay, okay," Frankie held up her hands. "There an ATM around?"

"What is such a thing?" she balked.

She rolled her eyes and complained, "Really taking this tourist trap thing to the extreme…Aren't we?" She placed her card back in her wallet and asked, "Bank?"

"Across the street," she informed.

"Okay, be right back," Frankie informed and left the hotel. She noticed a saloon next to the hotel and a few scantily dressed women sitting on the porch.

One of the girls looked her over and hollered, "You should get paid to show off them there legs."

Frankie sneered, "I know this is your job and all but…Fuck off,"

The girls all laughed and looked in amazement at one another.

Frankie then marched across the street to the bank to take out a cash withdrawal.

**Meanwhile**

Kid and Cody came to Teaspoon's office for they had caught a glimpse of the stranger. They walked into the office and found Teaspoon sitting behind his desk with his feet up as he read the paper.

"Boys," he stated knowing all too well why they were there.

"Have you seen that new girl in town?" asked Kid.

"See her legs?" asked Cody.

Teaspoon folded the paper and then looked up at his two wide-eyed riders; he exhaled, "I did...Her name is Frankie Peterman and she is a doctor."

"You met her?" asked Kid.

"I did," he nodded, "very nice young woman."

Cody grinned, "So are her legs."

"I noticed," agreed Teaspoon.

Kid rebutted, "She can't be no doctor. No doctor would dress like that and no doctor would be a girl." He then silently kicked himself upon realizing the later part of the statement was rather idiotic.

Teaspoon asked, "Who says women cannot be doctors?"

Kid shrugged, "You don't see any."

"They are rare," agreed Teaspoon. He then stood up and adjusted his belt. He patted his stomach in thought, "You two boys keep an eye on her for me. She's not from around here and I'm not sure where she is from…Or why she is here. She mentioned something about a trap."

Kid asked, "What trap?"

Teaspoon shrugged, "I'm not sure…She a bit…Odd."

Cody giggled like a little boy, "I'll take odd with those legs any day."

Teaspoon gave him a look, "Cody, do not touch her. If you haven't noticed she carried a rifle of some sort. I think she might shoot you if you do."

Cody admitted, "I wasn't looking at any rifle."

Kid wondered, "What is that white stuff on her nose?"

Teaspoon made a strange face as he pondered, "I have no idea."

"I wasn't looking at her nose either," admitted Cody.

Teaspoon instructed, "You two boys keep an eye on her." He then looked at Cody, "An eye above her waistline, Cody."

He grumbled, "I got it."

**Bank**

Frankie walked into the bank and looked about. The counters and the banks' interior woodworking were all authentic of the period. She noticed the bank was empty and she walked up to the teller; a man sitting behind the counter wearing a black armband and visor. He sported a grey suit and glasses. He looked her up and down.

"May I help you, miss?" he asked.

"I need an ATM machine," she informed.

"I am not sure what you are referring too," he replied.

She rolled eyes as she started to grow frustrated; she balked, "You know…You can cut the old west crap and just tell me where I can make a withdrawal from my account."

"Do you have an account with us?" he asked.

"No, from my bank…Federal First…In Saint Mary's." 

He gave a strange look, "I am not aware of any bank named Federal First. Hmm, do you have a draft note from you bank?"

She removed her credit card the bank issued her and slid it to him, "Just give me a cash advance against this."

He picked up the funny looking card and tapped it. He inspected all sides of the device and was simply baffled.

"What is this?" he asked confused.

"A credit card," she huffed, "From my bank."

"I need an actual draft note…Not this…Thing," he slid it back to her.

Her mouth dropped, "Say what? But you're a bank. Banks issue credit cards."

"My bank does not," he informed.

Her shoulders slunk, "Then if you don't take credit cards and don't have an ATM…Then how am I gonna get money out of my account?"

"I suggest you go to your bank in Saint Mary's," he informed.

She put her card away and was growing very angry; she huffed, "Fine…I will find an ATM. Don't you think you guys are taking this Wild West shit a bit far? How do you expect to get any tourist to spend money if you don't have an ATM machine?" She then stormed out of the bank in anger before the teller could even say a word.

She noticed two young men standing outside the bank; both staring at her wide-eyed. She looked at Kid and Cody.

"What?" she asked them.

Kid had heard the profanity and he remarked, "No lady speaks like that."

She huffed, "Fuck off."

Cody started to laugh.

She glared at him, "What's so funny?" She then pondered, "Who the hell are you supposed to be? Let me guess…Buffalo Bill?"

Cody snickered as she amused him, "No ma'am."

Kid asked, "How did ya know his first name?"

Cody suddenly stopped laughing and pondered, "How did she know my first name?"

She shook her head, "You two are piss poor actors," she then walked by them still upset that she couldn't get her money out of the bank. She gathered her bike and walked back down to the Marshal's office to see if he could help her as Cody and Kid followed. The pair remained outside as they eavesdropped.

She found Teaspoon sitting behind the desk, his feet up and reading the paper.

"Marshal," she stated.

He peeked from behind the paper, "Dr. Peterman…How are ya?"

"Not so good," she admitted.

He folded the paper and looked over at her standing off the side of his desk. He let out a sigh.

"What can I help you with, doc?"

She crossed her arms and scoffed, "What the hell kind of tourist trap is this? No ATM's. No credit cards? The dude at the bank said I had to go all the way back to Saint Mary's to get my money out of the bank."

Teaspoon had no idea what she was talking about he paused in thought and asked, "You have no money?"

She shook her head, "I have money but your idiotic bank won't let me make a withdrawal and won't accept a credit card. Banks live on credit cards! What the hell is this shit?"

Teaspoon wasn't used to seeing such a pretty young woman using such vulgar language. His stomach turned sour.

"You have the ability to swear like a drunken sailor," he noted.

"Fine," she ignored his comment, "Is there a public camp ground I can use around here?"

Teaspoon was even more confused, "I'm not sure."

She spouted, "You would really suck if you were a real cop."

Teaspoon arched an eyebrow for he knew he was just insulted even if the slang was a bit odd sounding.

Before Teaspoon could reply Buck and Ike came running into the office. Ike held a large white cloth on his forearm and blood was seeping. The boy had cut himself and was bleeding heavily. Cody and Kid walked in behind as their friend was in trouble.

Buck hollered out, "Teaspoon! Ike ripped his arm open on a nail in the barn. Doc ain't in town and he needs stitches."

"Easy boys," Teaspoon tried to sooth them.

Kid had brought a chair close to the desk for Ike to sit down on. The boy sat down but was obviously scared. Teaspoon hovered over the arm which the boy was now protecting.

"It's all right, Ike…Let me see how bad it is," Teaspoon kept a calm voice and demeanor.

Ike slowly let Teaspoon unwrap the cloth and look at the gaping wound.

Frankie looked at it from over Teaspoon's shoulder. She nodded as she agreed that he would need stitches.

"That's a mighty fine cut you got there, Ike," agreed teaspoon.

"That's a laceration,' she informed. "You need stitches, Ike. You guys might want to bring him to the ER."

Kid asked, "What's an ER?"

"Emergency room," she informed, "In a hospital."

"We don't have a hospital out these parts, miss." Kid replied. He then asked, "You think the barber could stitch him up since Doc's out of town."

Frankie shook her head and stated, "No, he needs a doctor to do it. I'll do it." She took off her pack and leaned the item against the wall. She retrieved a red case. Frankie took another chair and slid it up to teaspoon's desk. She laid out the items she would need to stitch up the arm.

Ike started making gestures at her. He looked very concerned.

"What?" she asked unsure why he seemed so frantic, "Can't you speak?"

Buck spoke up, "He's mute. He wants to know if you are a real doctor."

She looked at Ike assumingly, "I am a real doctor. I'm not an actor. I can stitch you up. Do you have any allergies I should know about?"

Ike shook his head.

"Okay," she looked at the wound and wondered, "Rusty nail, huh?"

He nodded.

"When was the last time you had a tetanus shot?" she asked.

He shook his head no.

"We don't want him to get tetanus," stated Teaspoon. "Why would you give him a shot for it?"

"It's a vaccine," she informed. "You never had a tetanus vaccine?"

He shook his head unsure what a vaccine even was.

"Okay, I'll have to clean it out really well for now," she informed. She removed a syringe and a small glass vial. She shook the vial as she prepared the injection.

Ike started to frantically wave at the vial and needle.

"What's that for?" asked Buck.

She informed, "It's just a numbing agent," she informed. "This will make your arm numb so you won't feel the stitches…Okay?"

The boys all traded glances for no one had ever heard of such a thing.

She prepared the injection and paused to give him some warning, "Now this will feel like a bee sting for a second and then it will numb the area so I can put in the stitches without you feeling everyone."

Buck wondered, "Will his arm remain numb?"

She shook her head, "Of course not. It wears off in a few hours." Frankie started the work and injected the serum into Ike's arm around the wound.

He winced for a moment of two but soon realized he felt nothing. Curiously he started poking at the wound to see if he could feel anything.

"Don't poke at it," she stopped him.

Kid asked, "You feel anything, Ike?"

He shook his head no and grinned in amusement. It was the most bizarre thing he ever felt. Ike found being numbed rather humorous.

"Really?" asked Cody who started to poke at the wound.

Frankie slapped his hand, "Do not do that." She then pointed to the door, "Get out!"

Teaspoon warned him, "Cody, don't put your fingers in Ike's wound."

She snickered, "Oh, so you do play him."

Cody had no idea what she was talking about but wondered, "Can't I stay? I wanna see this."

"As long as you don't play with Ike's arm," replied Teaspoon.

She rolled her eyes and started the procedure to clean the wound and then stitch it up.

After about fifteen minutes the work was done and she was now bandaging the arm, "Just keep it clean and dry," she instructed. "I cleaned it out as well as I could. You really do need a tetanus shot though."

Ike was pleased with the work but was baffled by the insistence he needed some sort of shot. He shrugged unsure what to do.

She asked him, "How did you lose your voice, Ike?"

Buck spoke up, "He had Scarlet Fever…Lost his voice and his hair to it."

"Scarlet Fever?" she asked shocked.

Ike nodded and made another sign.

She looked at Buck, "What did he say? I know sign but he's using a sign I never saw before."

"He's using my people's sign," informed Buck unsure of what other sign she was referring too. "Indian sign...He says thank you for helping him."

"You're welcome," she told Ike. She then suggested, "You should come to Saint Mary's hospital. I could get a good look at your voice box and we could see if we can help. It's possible you just have scare tissue around your vocal cords and if we can remove that scare tissue you might be able to speak again."

Everyone traded glances.

Buck asked, "How would you do that?"

"He would need a specialist…It would de delicate surgery," she told them. "So, Marshal…Where do I find a public camp ground to spend the night? I'm on a bike and getting back home would be a few days."

Teaspoon suggested, "I think you can stay with Rachel. I'm sure she won't mind. How much do we owe you for stitching him up, doc?"

She waved her hand, "Don't worry about it."

"Then have dinner with us tonight," suggested Teaspoon.

"Us?" she asked.

"Me and the boys," he informed. "These here boys are express riders." 

"Pony Express riders?" she asked amused.

He nodded.

She placed her hand on her chin and replied, "I would love to…But you can really cut the tourist crap now."

Cody asked baffled, "Tourist? What tourist?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Teaspoon and the boys escorted Frankie to the house where she would be staying for the evening. As they walked, Frankie pushed her bike by her side.

Teaspoon asked, "What there is that contraption you rode in on?"

"My bike?" she asked somewhat confused.

"That blue thing you are pushing," he clarified.

She chuckled, "My bicycle. It's a bicycle designed for the mountains."

Teaspoon mentioned, "I ordered something similar to that 'bicycle' some time ago from Mr. Sears and Mrs. Roebuck. It was called a 'by-sis-salis.'"

She asked, "How is 'by-sis-salis' spelled, Marshal?"

"It was spelled, 'B-I-C-Y-C-L-E….By-sis-salis," he recalled.

"That's bicycle," she reported. "What did your bicycle look like?"

"Kind of like yours but it had a large wheel in the back and a tiny wheel in front."

Assuming he was making a joke she snickered, "You put it together backwards?"

"I suppose I could have," he admitted.

Cody tried to get attention and came up the side of her, hands on his belt and remarked, "Teaspoon is noted for ordering things from Mr. Sears and Mr. Roebuck. The last one was a stupid game called 'baseball.'"

Thinking it was all an act she laughed, "Really?"

Kid miffed, "Yeah, swat balls and run around in circles...It was stupid."

"And yet it becomes one of the most popular games in the world," she added. She looked behind her at the half Indian. "I didn't catch you name, mister."

"Buck Cross," he nodded, "My friend, Ike McSwain."

Billy tipped his hat, "Billie Cody."

She chuckled, "I figure that's who you were." She looked at Kid and asked, "And your name is?"

"Does it matter?" he asked.

"Everyone just calls him, 'Kid.'" Cody reported. He became rather meek, "What do you preferred to be called, Dr. Peterman?"

"'Dr. Peterman,'" she told him. "But the Marshal can call me by my first name."

"Much obliged, ma'am," nodded Teaspoon.

They walked up to the house and found Rachel Dunne standing there arms crossed for she heard there was a stranger in town. Lou, Hickok and Noah all lingered about waiting to see the stranger as well.

Teaspoon greeted, "Rachel…I would like you to meet Dr. Peterman. She will be our guest for dinner tonight."

Frankie placed the kickstand on her bike down and stood the bike upright; she then walked up to Rachel on the porch with her hand out, "It's nice to meet you, Rachel. Thank you for letting me stay here for the night."

Rachel didn't take her hand and shot a look past her to Teaspoon.

Teaspoon informed, "It's payment for stitching up Ike's arm."

Her eyes settled on Ike who now had his arm wrapped in a bandage, he gave her a pleading look for Rachel to allow Frankie to stay. She then looked at Frankie.

"Thank you for helping, Ike…Doctor. I have a room you can use upstairs."

Frankie slowly took her hand back and wondered why the reception was so cold, "Thank you," she replied.

Rachel asked, "You got some more respectable clothes to wear?"

She looked down at her bare legs, "What's the matter with my clothes?" she wondered.

"I can see far too much of your skin…Doctor," she informed.

Frankie asked, "Don't you think you guys are pushing this living museum thing a bit far?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," scoffed Rachel.

Frankie looked at the curious faces; she waved her hands about in frustration, "I know this is a mock up. I know this is a museum and you guys are all paid actors. Okay…I get it…The old west was a hard life. But for Pete's sakes, cut it out now. You're driving me crazy with this crap."

All eyes fell on her rather befuddled.

Frankie rolled her eyes and slunk her shoulders, "Please, quit with the act now. I mean come on…This is not the old west…It's twenty-twelve!"

Everyone stood silently and traded glances. No one knew what to say or how to react.

Frankie pleaded, "Please, it's been a really long day; I hardly slept at all because of that really weird thunderstorm. Just drop the act and give me a hotel room so I can get some sleep."

Teaspoon replied, "Frankie, did you say twenty-twelve as the year of our lord?"

She nodded.

Rachel lifted an eyebrow and retorted, "I do not know what act you are trying to pull, miss…But the current year of our lord is eighteen hundred and sixty."

Frankie's mouth dropped, "You serious?" She looked at the curious faces staring at her. "I'm in eighteen-sixty? No fucking way?"

Rachel gave warning, "I hear you use that vulgar language and you will be sleeping in the stables."

"You're serious…Aren't you?" asked Frankie.

"Now stop whatever act you are pulling and I will show you to your room," she offered.

She looked about and asked them, "So, you guys aren't paid actors? This isn't some mock town to get tourist?"

Billy asked, "Why would someone make a mock town to get tourist? Seems kind of idiotic to me, ma'am."

Her eyes grew wide, "Holy shit…You really are Buffalo Bill Cody!"

Cody asked confused, "Ma'am?"

She sounded excited as she pointed at him, "You're the real deal…You're William Frederick Cody! You rode for the Pony Express...Holy shit!"

Rachel wondered, "How did you know his full name?"

Frankie spouted, "He's famous."

"Billie?" she asked unsure.

"I'm famous?" he asked uncertain.

She nodded. She looked about the riders. Her eyes settled on each of their faces. She came to Hickok.

"If your name is James Butler Hickok…I'm gonna shit a brick," she told him.

Rachel gasped, "How did you know his name?"

"Oh crap," she cried. She started to panic and pace back and forth on the porch, "What the hell? Oh shit. What the fuck happened? Oh My God…This is not happening."

Rachel realized she was going into a panic attack; she tried to soothe her, "Calm down, miss…Just calm down."

Frankie started to hyperventilate and then she started to wheeze. She was going into an asthma attack.

"Calm down," Rachel tried to assure her. "Relax, you need to breathe."

Frankie dropped to her knees as she frantically took off her pack and dug through to find her kit. She found the rescue inhaler and did two puffs. She started to regain her breath as all eyes fell upon her and the weird inhaler.

Frankie started to ramble, "Maybe, I fell hit my head and I'm hallucinating? Maybe this is a bad dream? Maybe I was hit by lightning and I'm dead? That's it…I'm dead and this is…Purgatory?"

Rachel knelt down beside her and drew Frankie's chin up to look her in the eye; she spoke soothingly, "You are not dead and this is not in purgatory. You just had a panic attack. I'm not sure what the device is you used to stop the wheezing but it seemed to have worked. You will be okay now."

Frankie looked about the faces; all of whom did seem very concerned after they witnessed her asthma attack. She slowly nodded and tried to stand back up.

Rachel helped her to her feet, "Let me help you. Now, you can stay with me but no more of that foul mouth language of yours."

Frankie went rather silent as she looked at the riders and then at Hickok who seemed to be a bit confused himself; she asked him, "You're not gonna shoot me…Are you?"

"Why would I do that?" he asked.

"Because you're a gunfighter," she replied.

The stories of Wild Bill Hickok were only beginning to blossom; he retorted, "You can't always believe everything that you read." 

"True," she had to agree. "I think I need to lie down for a bit."

Rachel offered, "I will help you to your room."

"My pack," stated Frankie unable to leave the item.

Rachel picked it up by the strap; and then helped steady Frankie, "I got it," she assured.

The boys and Teaspoon watched as Frankie and Rachel disappeared into the house. They stood looking at one another.

Lou asked, "What was that all about?"

"I'm not sure," admitted Teaspoon. He picked up the rifle and looked it over. He decided it would be best if he stored it someplace safe. He then looked at the bike. "Why don't you boys put that…Bicycle…away."

Cody and Kid gave each other a knowing look. They didn't know who the stranger was or if her claims were even true but the word "bicycle" made far sense than Teaspoons previous pronunciation. They watched until Teaspoon walked off to his room carrying the rifle.

Cody mounted the bike and looked at Kid, "You think we can ride this thing?"

Kid held up his hands, "I ain't riding that thing."

Lou asked, "Was she riding that thing into town?"

Kid nodded, "Like a horse."

She walked over and compared her leg, "I bet I could reach the pedals."

Cody started to play with the bike; he teased her, "It's made just for the mountains, Lou."

"I bet I could reach the pedals," she repeated.

Cody teased, "Nah, you need good legs to ride this." He was throwing any excuse he could muster for he wanted to ride the bike. He tried to get his balance when Lou pushed him over.

"Fine," she huffed. "Go find someone with fine legs." She stormed back towards the porch.

Kid came up behind her and whispered, "I bet Cody can't ride it." 

Noah agreed, "It would be like riding a two legged horse."

The boys all stood around and before they knew it, they were all trying to ride the bike and with no avail.

**Meanwhile**

Rachel led Frankie up to the room. Frankie noted the quaint furniture and antique fixtures as she made her way through the home.

"Here ya go," stated Rachel upon walking in the room.

Frankie looked about the small room. The room was painted yellow with white trim around a single window. A small closet was in the corner and a single bed with a night table. Next To the door was a small dresser with a mirror, wash basin and an oil lamp.

"Take it no electricity," she stated.

"What's electricity?" asked Rachel.

She shook her head, "Never mind."

"You will find everything you need here," assured Rachel. "Matches are in the nightstand. The lamp is full and I will bring you a fresh pitcher of water."

"Where's the bathroom?" she wondered.

"The bathroom?" she asked.

"Toilet?" she asked.

"I'm not sure I follow," Rachel confessed.

"Where do I go pee?' she asked.

"The outhouse is around the corner, south side," she informed.

Frankie asked, "Outhouse?"

She nodded.

"If I have to go in the middle of the night?"

"You can use the outhouse and take a candle or just use the chamber pot under your bed," she suggested.

"Chamber pot?" Frankie asked bending down to look. She pulled out an enamel pot with a lid, "This thing?" she asked.

"Yes," she nodded unsure. "So tell me, doctor…Just how do people relieve themselves in the future…If what you say is true?"

"We have flushing toilets," she replied.

Rachel gave a funny look.

"It's a commode with water piped through to flush away the crap," she explained.

"I see," she asked, "Do people in the future often talk and dress like you?"

She shook her head.

Rachel nodded, "That's a relief."

Frankie admitted, "I'm rather conservative. Most dress far more scantly than me. And my foul mouth is pretty fucking clean."

Rachel pondered, "I hope you are being humorous."

She shook her head, "No, but I only swear when I'm really stressed…So, soon as I calm down then so will my big mouth."

"I certainly hope so," added Rachel. "Mouth like that in these parts will get a lady in trouble."

Frankie sat on the bed and exhaled, "I'll try to spare your ears."

Rachel countered, "It's not my ears you need to spare. It's your reputation that's on the line. If you are a doctor and this town needs a good doctor…Then you will have a place here. But we don't need a doctor with a foul mouth and a skimpy dress. The only work you will find is at the saloon."

Frankie replied, "I have a job…I work in a hospital."

Rachel replied, "If what you claim is true then how do you plan on going back to that hospital?"

Frankie drew a long face as she suddenly realized she might be trapped. She shook not knowing what to do.

"I'm not sure how to get back," she admitted. "I don't even know how I got here."

Rachel sat down on the bed next to her; she pondered, "I'm not sure if you are from where you claim or not…But you are obviously not from around these parts. If you are from some other…Time…Then it seems to me that you are kind of trapped here. As I said, this town needs a good doctor. Doc is getting up in years and is speaking of moving back east where it's easier on the bones. If you really are a doctor…Then we need for you here."

Frankie wondered, "What if I'm just crazy?"

Rachel patted her knee, "I don't think you are."

"How so?" she asked.

"Cause crazy folks don't know they are crazy," she rebutted. "Get some rest…I'll wake for dinner." She rose from the bed and walked towards the door.

Frankie lay down on the bed staring off into space as she debated her own mental health.

Rachel looked upon her and slowly closed the door as wondered herself if perhaps the young woman had lost her mind.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Frankie woke for dinner. Rachel suggested she wear something to cover her legs and offered a dress but Frankie turned the dress down and opted to just zip on the pant legs to her shorts. Rachel stood and watched as Frankie easily attached the legs to the shorts to make a full set of trousers while still wearing the item.

"I must say…I never seen anything like that before," admitted Rachel.

"They're zip-ons," she explained.

"Not sure what that is but them there are some very strange trousers," she nodded.

"Whatever," she miffed. She let out a depressing sigh.

"Anything wrong, Doctor?" asked Rachel.

Frankie admitted, "I was hoping this was just a bad dream and I would wake up and I would be back home."

"I can understand someone being homesick," she agreed.

Frankie shook her head, "This isn't home sick…This is…Feeling trapped." She went to her pack and dug out a device. She held it in her hand while sitting on the bed. She miffed, "Still no signal."

Rachel took a seat on the bed next to her and looked over at the very strange device; she wondered, "What is that?"

"It's my phone," she explained.

"Phone?" she asked curiously.

"Like a telephone," she replied.

"I have never heard of such a thing," she informed.

Frankie had to think back to her history class; she asked, "You know what a telegraph is yet?"

"I heard of that new telegraph," she agreed.

"It's kind of like that but it sends voices instead of code," she informed. "In order to work it has to pick up a signal but I don't have any signal here. Hasn't had a signal since the storm. I was hoping I could call someone for help."

"But you don't have this 'signal' you need to make this 'call?'" she gathered.

"Right," she nodded.

"That is like nothing I have ever seen before, Doctor Peterman. Those look like photographs but colored."

"They are photographs," she informed. "It's a camera too."

"That little tiny box is a camera?" she asked astonished.

Frankie held up the phone and took Rachel's picture. She then showed her the photo.

"Here," she held it before her.

Rachel gasped, "That's me."

She nodded.

"You just took that and didn't need to have it developed. Can you put it on paper?"

"I can but not here," she informed. "The phone will store the picture until I can print on a special printer at home. We don't need a negative anymore to do photography. It's called 'digital photography.'"

"That is the most incredible thing I have ever seen," Rachel informed.

Frankie asked, "So, you believe me now?"

Rachel delicately handed the phone back to Frankie as she nodded, "I know we can't take photos like that. Photography is brand new and colored photography is impossible. Photography with no negative and in color is simply impossible. Yet, you have a device that such a thing. Perhaps, what you say is true." She paused in thought for a moment, "If you don't know how you got here and do not know how to get back to your home…Then you have no place else to go and are…Well…Stuck here. If I were you, I wouldn't show anyone these things and wear more appropriate clothing. You need to dress and appear more like the townspeople."

"Why?" she wondered. "Quantum theory hasn't been proven and that grandfather's paradox is bullshit if you ask me."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," informed Rachel. "I wouldn't tell anyone because folks in these here parts might thing you are the devil himself."

Frankie blinked, "Say what?"

"They might think you're the devil," warned Rachel. "I know you're not but folks around here…Well…They might not be very understanding."

"You think…That they will think… That I am evil?" she asked unenthused.

Rachel nodded, "I wouldn't put it past'em." 

"So," gathered Frankie, "I need to blend in and not stick out like a tourist?"

"Yup," she agreed. Rachel pondered, "Why on earth would a tourist come to Rock Creek? Tourist would go to more refined places like…England."

"In my time the Pony Express trail is a historical route and I was riding it on my bike for my vacation," she informed. "I heard the Rock Creek in my time had a mock town set up with paid actors to resemble the Old West and it would be fun to see it."

Rachel pondered, "That doesn't sound like much fun to me."

"So, what would you do if you had a two weeks' vacation?" she asked off hand.

"Two weeks isn't enough to travel anyplace significant," informed Rachel, "but if I had the time and money, I would go on one of them steamships and go someplace exotic…Someplace, I had never seen…Perhaps, the Tropics."

Frankie miffed, "So, you would have gone to a beach resort too. My friend Serge said I should just go to a beach resort."

"Would a beach resort be warm, have a sandy shoreline and palm trees?" asked Rachel.

Frankie nodded.

"I would have gone there," she agreed.

Frankie placed her head in her hands and whimpered, "Great…I'm lame even by your standards."

Rachel patted her back, "Come on, dinner's getting cold."

**Bunk House**

The boys all sat around the table with Teaspoon waiting for Rachel to come with their food.

Cody asked, "You think that doctor is really from another time, Teaspoon?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "But she did bring some things with her that ain't like anything I ever seen before."

"What about that rifle?" asked Jimmy Hickok.

Teaspoon realized the rifle was nothing they currently had and inspected it carefully before storing it; he asked "What about it?"

"Doesn't look like any rifle I ever seen before," admitted Jimmy. "You figure it out yet?"

Teaspoon nodded, "I did," he dug into his pocket and held a very small 22 caliber round before them, "It shoots these cartridges. He squinted at the bullet, "And this tiny bullet."

Jimmy scoffed, "How ya supposed to kill anything with that?"

"I think it's for small critters…Raccoons and such," Teaspoon summarized.

Jimmy asked, "Why not carry a real gun?"

Teaspoon shrugged, "I'm not sure. Perhaps, she was hunting small critters for her camp?"

Rachel walked into the bunk house with Frankie behind her. Frankie offered to help carry the food and held a basket in her hands as Rachel held the pot of stew.

"Have a seat anywhere, Doc," she instructed.

Frankie sat the basket down and took a seat by Teaspoon and realized he held one of the bullets from her rifle in his hand. She looked at him and wondered why he had it.

Teaspoon asked, "Where you hunting critters for your camp?"

She shook her head, "No, I brought my own food."

"Then why you have a rifle that shoots such a tiny bullet?" he wondered.

"It's in case I get attacked by an animal," she explained.

Jimmy asked, "You were gonna defend yourself from an animal with that tiny bullet? Do critters in your time attack a lot of people?"

"No," she shook her head. "Like if I see a snake or something."

Jimmy instructed, "Ya see a snake use buck shot…Not that tiny thing."

She rolled her eyes, "You and Serge would get along great."

Jimmy dug into his pocket and held up a large lead ball before her, "Use something like this,"

Her eyes grew wide, "What the hell is that?"

"It's a bullet," he insisted.

"It's a ball," she snorted.

"Still hits pretty hard," he informed and placed it back in his pocket.

Teaspoon asked, "How exactly does that rifle of yours work, Doc?"

Frankie explained, "Load the cartridges in the tube, use the level to eject and load the round into the chamber and pull the trigger."

"All rifles from where you come from have that lever?" he wondered.

She shook her head, "No, that my 'Annie Oakley' gun."

Cody asked, "Who is Anny Oakley?"

She smiled, "You'll find out."

Kid mentioned, "I'm glad to see you put on some trousers and covered them legs. You shouldn't be walking through town with your legs showing."

"Why not?" she asked.

"Ain't proper," he informed.

She laughed, "Neither is the word "ain't.'"

"Them short little trousers of yours will get you in a peck of trouble, ma'am," Kid warned.

"Rachel suggested I wear clothing that is more common here," informed Frankie. "So, you can relax now…Kid."

"Just saying," he offered.

"Hmm," she looked at Ike, "How's that arm feeling?"

Ike made a sign.

Buck replied, "He's says he can feel now but it's itchy."

"Don't scratch it, Ike," she replied. "I've got some cream that will help with that. I'll put some on after dinner."

He made another sign.

"You're welcome," she replied. She was figuring out the sign rather quickly.

"How did you know what he said?" asked Buck.

She shrugged, "Logic dictates that what he would say. Don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure that out."

Lou asked, "What's a rocket scientist?"

"Um," she sighed, "Never mind." Frankie started to eat the food and noticed it tasted much better than what she was used too. "This is really good, Rachel."

"Why thank you, Doc," she gave a nod and sat down to eat at the end of the table.

Frankie asked, "What did you make these biscuits with? Wow, these are good."

"The usual," Rachel shrugged, "Flour, water, lard…"

Frankie paused, "Lard?"

"Why yes," nodded Rachel. "What else would one use to make biscuits?"

Frankie paused in thought, "Actually, I don't know how to make a biscuit. I get the ones in the can."

"I beg your pardon?" asked Rachel. "Canned biscuits?"

"Well," Frankie paused, "Yeah!"

Cody informed, "That sounds disgusting. Canned biscuits," he laughed.

She had to admit, "They are disgusting compared to Rachel's lard ones." She took another bit and scolded herself, "I can't believe I'm eating lard."

Rachel countered, "I can't believe they canned biscuits. What a preposterous thing to do."

Lou asked "Are you really from another…Time?"

Frankie shrugged, "I'm wondering if I'm insane to be honest."

Rachel looked at Lou and the rest of the boys; she feared for the doctor's safety and started, "Boys, Teaspoon…If Frankie is from another time then I think it would be best if we kept this to ourselves and not told the town. Some might think the worst and possibly do harm to her. If she is from another time…Then the Good Lord sent her to us for a reason and we best keep her from harm…Understand?"

Everyone traded glanced.

Jimmy asked, "Why did God send you to us?"

Frankie wasn't sure what to say; she shrugged, "You're guess is as good as mine."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Next Morning**

Rachel knocked on Frankie's door. She heard nothing so she opened the door and peeked inside. She found Frankie sleeping soundly on the bed, wrapped up in the covers in like a caterpillar wrapped in a cocoon. She entered the room and opened the window for some fresh air. A rooster cackled loudly outside.

Frankie's eye popped open; she wasn't sure what she just heard but it wasn't the alarm clock. The rooster cackled again. She sat, rubbed the grogginess from her eyes and looked about.

"Is that a chicken I hear?" she asked unenthused.

"That's a rooster," informed Rachel. "Hop to it…Time's a wasting."

"Very funny," she muttered.

Rachel assured, "It wasn't meant to be. Now, time to get up."

Frankie asked, "What time is it?"

"Six in the morning," she informed.

Frankie lay back down, "Too early."

Rachel puckered and thought and gave a disturbed look; she pulled on the blankets, "No, ma'am…Time to get up. We have a lot of work to do, Doctor."

Frankie asked, "Such as?"

"Have to gather the eggs, make breakfast, sweep and mop, wash the laundry…" started Rachel.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Frankie waved her hands. "What? When am I supposed to do all that?"

"I have to do all that and since you will be staying here…You can help me," insisted Rachel.

Frankie huffed, "Fine…I'll help you. Let's just hurry it up so I can go back to bed." She climbed out of bed wearing her underwear and a tee-shirt.

Rachel scolded, "Is that what you wore to sleep?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "Why? Oh, are my legs showing again?" she mocked.

"No lady wears something that skimpy to bed," explained Rachel. "What would your husband think?"

"I'm not married," she scoffed.

"If you were what would he think?" she scolded.

Frankie gave a funny look, "Guys like women showing off their legs."

"No respectable woman would," she countered.

Frankie rolled her eyes, "Okay, so I'm not respectable…So, what? Who cares? It's comfortable and no one saw me."

Rachel warned, "You need to learn to act more accordingly. Or else…"

"I know, I know…Devil chick…I get it," she miffed. "Jeepers," she pulled on her pants and threw on her shoes. "Okay! My legs are covered…Does it matter I'm not wearing my bra or is that a sin too?"

Rachel rolled her eyes and walked by, "Just get dressed." She then closed the door behind her as she left.

Frankie stood confused, "I just did."

**Later**

Rachel's chores for the day were far from easy. Frankie found laundry consisted of scrubbing clothes on a board in a large metal wash bin. It was back breaking work as well as sweeping, scrubbing the floors by hand and literally swatting dirt from carpets.

Frankie found herself standing by the clothesline with a small rug and a stick. Her job was to beat the dirt from the rug to clean it. After a number of swats she gave up and sat down on the porch step.

Lou came up behind her; she spotted Frankie resting and the rug hanging before her.

"Better finish up," warned Lou.

Frankie looked over her shoulder; she was far more interesting in Lou's story than in the current task. She motioned for her to sit.

"Sit down, Lou," she patted the step, "Take a break with me."

Lou complied and sat next to Frankie unsure what to even say. She wasn't sure Frankie was even sane much less from another time.

Frankie asked, "How come they all call you a 'him?' I mean, if your transgender I can understand but with Rachel riding my ass about dressing like a lady, I'm kind of wondering how get away with wearing pants, Lou?"

Lou asked, "You know I'm a girl?"

"Well, yeah…It's obvious," she stated. "Are you gay? It's fine with me…I'm not one to judge but I'm a bit confused…"

"Lou seemed very confused, "Gay? Right now I'm miserable…Not gay. What's trans…Gender anyways?"

Frankie then kicked herself for she just assumed Lou was a lesbian in actuality.

"I was just wondering why you boy's clothes when Rachel is so insistent about dressing up like ladies?" she replied.

"I wear boy's clothes because I work for the Express…They won't hire me if they knew," she confessed.

"Oh," she pondered in thought, "Well, that sucks. You have to pass yourself off as a guy to get a job?"

Lou nodded, "The boys all know and so does Rachel. Teaspoon doesn't know."

"Really?" she asked. "Teaspoon hasn't figured out you have curves yet?"

She shook her head and smiled amused.

Frankie made a face, "And he's the Marshal? I guess he's no Sherlock Holmes," she gathered.

"Who?" asked Lou.

Frankie asked, "You like to read, right?"

"Love too," insisted Lou.

"Well, when you see a book called the _Sherlock Holmes_…Read it…You'll love it."

Lou shrugged, "I suppose I can keep an eye out for it. You have any dresses with ya?"

She shook her head, "No, just hiking clothes….Pants and shorts."

"You have any money to buy dresses?"

Frankie shook her head, "Nope…Not here anyways."

"Well, maybe me and the boys can scrape you up some old clothes to wear. I think Rachel might have a dress you can borrow for town."

Frankie gave a smile, "I would appreciate that, Lou…So, what's the deal with you and Kid?"

She smiled and shrugged, "What deal?"

"Are you two an item?" she wondered.

"I'm not sure what that means," confessed Lou.

"Together? A couple? Dating? Engaged?"

Lou replied, "Oh, he asked me to marry him yet. We're still…Courting."

Frankie wondered, "Is that like boyfriend/girlfriend?"

Lou explained, "Courting…We're…Courting."

"You mean like kissing, hugging and shit like that?" clarified Frankie.

Lou gaped, "Excuse me! I'm not the type to do that and tell."

She rolled her eyes, "Okay, okay…You're an item…I get it."

"I'm not some item…I'm not a thing," she insisted.

Frankie clarified, "Item is slang for courting."

"Oh," Lou pondered, "I guess we are that then." She puckered in thought, "Your grammar skills and very poor for a doctor."

Frankie laughed, "You should see my handwriting."

Lou asked, "Why is that funny?"

"It's a joke," she assured. She stood back up with the stick and looked at her task, "Ya, know…There has got to be a better way of doing this."

Lou grinned, "How do you clean rugs where you're from?"

"Vacuum," she replied.

"What's that?" she wondered.

"A machine that sucks the dirt out of the rugs," she informed.

Lou wasn't sure how such a device would work but she had to admit, "That sounds like a much better way."

"Yup," she agreed.

Cody and Kid came around the corner; they were looking for Frankie.

Kid spoke up, "Frankie," he hollered, "Mr. Thompson needs you too look at his foot."

Lou wondered, "What wrong with Mr. Thompson?"

"Ingrown toe nail," he informed. "He's limping pretty badly. Can you take care of that for him, Frankie? He heard you can numb things up like you did with Ike."

Frankie's shoulders dropped and she rolled her eyes, "Ingrown toe nail? I'm an Emergency Room doctor."

"It looks pretty bad," insisted Kid.

Cody added, "Pretty infected."

"Infected?" she sighed. "Alright, I need my kit." She placed the stick down. "I suppose it could be worse."

Lou asked, "What's worse than an infected toe?"

"Colonoscopy," she replied off hand and walked back into the house to retrieve her kit.

Lou wondered, "What's a colonoscopy?"

Kid shrugged, "I don't know."

**Later**

Frankie was led to the General Store where Mr. Thompson sat behind the counter on a stool with his foot up. The old man was obviously in pain. Frankie stepped inside the store and looked about. She had to admit, the little store had a wide variety of items for sale including a glass counter case full of handguns.

She spotted Mr. Thompson sitting behind the gun case; he skin was pale and sweaty. He winced in pain while still trying to remain professional. He wore a white shirt and a black vest with his graying hair was combed over to the side.

Frankie approached him carrying her kit; she placed the kit down on the glass case and looked upon her patient, "Mr. Thompson?" she asked.

He nodded, "You're that new doctor in town? I heard you can make people numb."

She clarified, "I have some medicine that will make your toe numb so I can clean out the infection. Can I have a look at your toe?"

He removed the sock from his foot as he spoke, "I couldn't get my shoe on…It hurts too much."

Frankie looked at the infected toe and she had to admit, it was the worst infected ingrown toe nail she had even seen. She started preparing the injection. She noticed she was getting low on the medicine and figured she only had enough for the toe. She wondered what she would do if she had another patient that required the injection.

Kid noticed there wasn't much serum left; he asked, "That all you got, Doc?"

She nodded, "I have just enough for this procedure and then I'm out," she admitted. "I was going to be a chemist before I changed my major to medicine. I might be able to conjure up a substitute but I will need equipment that I don't have here."

"Such as?" asked Mr. Thompson.

"Lab equipment," she informed.

He offered her a deal, "You fix my toe and I'll order whatever you need."

"It will be expensive," she warned.

"If you save my toe it will be worth it," he informed fearing the infection would get worse.

"Okay,' she agreed. "you got a deal, Mr. Thompson. Now, this will numb the toe but it's you're gonna feel it until the medicine takes effect. It will be like a very bad been sting."

"I understand," he agreed.

She took a seat on a stool and started the delicate work. Kid, Cody and Lou all stood around and watched.

As she worked at cleaning out the infection the sight of the puss made their stomachs' turn. Lou had to turn away as Kid's face contorted. Cody however, seemed to take it more in stride as he watched the procedure.

**Later**

The four walked back to the house and found Rachel finishing up Frankie's chores. She looked over and wondered where Frankie had gone.

"Where did you got off to?" she wondered.

Frankie replied, "Mr. Thompson's toe was calling."

Kid nodded, "That was gross."

Cody agreed, "Gross but neat to watch."

Lou disagreed, "I don't ever want to see that again."

Frankie had to admit, "That had to have been the worst ingrown toe nail I have even operated on."

Rachel asked, "You took care of Mr. Thompson's toe?"

She nodded.

"It was getting bad," Rachel admitted.

Frankie wondered, "Does everybody in this town know everybody else's medical conditions?"

They all looked at one another and shrugged.

Rachel pondered, "Well, let's see…Mrs. Headlock has a bad back, Mr. Loomis has a bad case of the shingles, Miss Mead has bullions, Mrs. Kincaid has a sour stomach, and Mr. Banning has bad hemorrhoids…"

Frankie held up her hand, "I take that as a yes."

Rachel informed, "Well, Doc…If there is one thing will find about the folks out in these parts is they like to talk about what ails them."

"I figured that out,' she agreed.

Kid added, "Mr. Thompson is gonna get Frankie medical equipment so she can start her practice here."

"Well," stated Rachel pleased, "That's mighty kind of him."

"It's payment for the toe," she informed.

Rachel insisted, "Then I would gather you got a very good deal for your services, Doc."

She nodded, "Yeah." She looked at the stick Rachel held, "You want me to finish up that?"

She shook her head, "I'm about done. How about you take a break and do something for yourself, Doc. Perhaps, spend some time with the boys."

Lou wondered, "You know how to ride a horse, Doc?"

Frankie shook her head, "No…Why?"

They all traded glances.

Rachel insisted, "Out in these here parts…It might be better if you knew."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The movies made it look so easy. How could riding a horse be so hard? After all, it was a domesticated animal. Surely, it could not be that difficult but Frankie soon found out that Hollywood had once again mislead the audience and something as basic as riding a horse was rather difficult.

On her first attempt to ride the animal she placed the wrong foot in the stirrup. Then after finally mounting the horse she nearly fell out of the saddle. Then after what amounted to a mere walk around the pasture Frankie was ready get off the pony and never look at another horse ever again.

"Can I get off this thing now?" she asked.

The Kid assured, "You just started…A small child can ride better than you."

Frankie huffed, "But when do you throw a little kid on a horse?"

"As soon as they can walk," admitted Lou. "We all learned when we were little."

She countered, "I was learning to ride a bike as a little kid…Not a horse."

Cody asked, "Does everyone from where you're from ride them there bikes?"

She replied, "Most can ride a bike. Hardly anyone ever rides a horse."

Kid asked, "Then how do you move things about? If no one knows how to ride a horse then how to do people get about? Do you hitch them bikes up to wagons?"

She shook her head, "Of course not! We have cars and trucks…We don't use wagons."

The all traded glances.

Kid asked, "What's a truck?"

Frankie halted the horse and looked at them; she asked, "You know what a steam engine is right?"

They all nodded.

"Well, we have a much smaller version of a steam engine that can go into a wagon and that replaced the horses…It's called an 'internal combustion engine.'"

Kid asked somewhat skeptical, "You have tiny engines that can pull a wagon full of supplies?"

"Yes," she nodded. "And some of those engines are very big and can haul much bigger wagons…Called tractor trailers."

Kid shook his head, "Sounds impossible."

Rachel stepped out to see how the riding lessons were going. She found Frankie mounted on a horse and stopped in the middle of the ring. She wondered what the holdup was.

"How's it going, boys?" asked Rachel.

Kid scoffed, "Frankie says they don't have horses in the future…That they use small engines to haul everything."

Rachel pondered, "I suppose that could be true."

"It's impossible," he insisted. "There is no way to make an engine so small it can fit on a wagon and haul a load of supplies."

Rachel smiled, "I believe they probably can do that in the future, Kid."

"Do what?" asked Jimmy Hickok as he walked towards the gathering. He overheard only part of the conversation but noticed Frankie was now on a horse and didn't appear too comfortable with the situation.

Kid replied, "Make an engine so small they can place it on a wagon and haul and load of supplies with it."

Jimmy shrugged, "Why not?"

"It's impossible," he replied. "Steam engines require a lot of water and a fire box."

Frankie yelled out, "I didn't say it was a steam engine…It's an internal combustion engine."

Jimmy asked, "What's that?"

"An engine that burns fuel inside it to make pistons move up and down and that cranks a shaft that turns the wheels," she explained the best she could.

Jimmy added, "Sounds plausible."

Rachel added, "Kid, you must remember…Frankie is from another time…"

Kid rebutted, "You don't really believe that?"

She nodded, "Yes I do…She's proven it!"

Kid asked, "How?"

Lou added, "She fixed up Ike's arm and Mr. Thompson's toe with that fancy kit."

"But that doesn't prove anything," he replied still skeptical.

Cody wasn't sure if Frankie was sane or not but add, "She has that bike."

"Still doesn't prove anything…We have can make that thing here."

Rachel informed, "She has a device that can take colored photographs. And not even need to develop them."

Kid looked over and asked, "That true?"

Frankie nodded, "Yeah…It's called a 'camera phone,'" she then muttered under her breath, "dork."

"Let's see it," he demanded.

She looked about, "Fine…But how do I get down from here?"

Jimmy gave a perplexed look, "You just get off."

"How do I do that?" she wondered.

"Like ya got on," he instructed.

"I don't remember how I got on," she informed.

Jimmy pondered, "You don't know how to get off a horse?"

She shot back, "I didn't know how to get on this thing in the first place."

Lou tried to help, "You just get off the same way you got on, Doc…It's easy."

"Getting on wasn't easy," she replied looking about as to how she was going to dismount the animal.

Jimmy hollered, "Come on…Even a little kid could get on an off a horse."

She shot back, "I have never been on a horse before."

Jimmy asked, "Really? You have never been on a horse before?"

She shook her head.

"How do you get about then?" he then asked, "You ride that bike everywhere?"

"I drive a car," she yelled back.

"Car?' he asked. "A carriage?"

She shook her head, "No, not a carriage…A car!"

"What's that?" wondered Jimmy.

"It's kind like a wagon with four wheels, a steering wheel and an engine," she explained.

Jimmy traded glanced with Kid.

"So," started Jimmy, "You can drive this car thing, ride that bike thing but you have never been on a horse?"

She nodded, "Yes."

Jimmy asked, "Is this future that you're from run by a bunch of idiots?"

She had to ponder the question and regrettable agree, "Yeah…You could say that."

Lou had walked up to the horse and decided to help Frankie down. She patted her on the opposite leg.

"You need to take that leg and swing it out behind you, lean on this stirrup and then just come down."

Frankie slowly did as Lou instructed and found herself on the ground, "Oh that was easy."

Lou smiled, "Don't need to be a doctor to figure that one out." She then took the horse and led it back to the barn.

Frankie started to follow and regrettably stepped in horse manure on the way. She stopped and looked at her boot.

"Ah, man!" she hollered.

Lou glanced at her, "Watch were you walking," she instructed.

Frankie wiped the manure off on the dirt and made her way to the fence. The witnesses were all smiling amused.

"I'm not riding no horse," she stated.

Jimmy smirked, "Let's see ya shoot then."

She couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

"Out in these parts a lady needs to know how to defend herself," he insisted.

"From what?" she asked. "Evil raccoons?"

"There are men out here who will do you harm," warned Rachel. "Jimmy's right, you need to know how to defend yourself. Jimmy can teach you that. Also, there is a dance in town this weekend and I think you should go. I'll help you pick out a nice dress to wear."

She asked, "Why do I have to go to some dance?"

Rachel insisted, "You're the new town Doctor…It would best if you met the folks here. And I think you should attend church with me as well. The new town doctor not attending church will give them folks more fodder for rumors."

Frankie asked, "You want me to go to a dance and attend church?"

"I think it would be best," insisted Rachel.

"I'm a physician," she reminded. "I believe in science…Not god."

Rachel scolded, "You best keep that to yourself, Doc. These here are god-fearing people. You go around spouting off like that and they will think you are the devil."

Frankie rebutted, "But I don't believe in god."

Rachel asked, "How can you not believe in god?"

"Science," she replied. "If I can't scientifically prove it exists then it's a myth."

Rachel rebutted, "Can you scientifically explain how you got here?"

"No," she shook her head. "But with enough time and equipment it could be figured out."

"You cannot explain what forces brought you here but you think god does not exist and had nothing to do with it," she asserted.

Frankie asked, "If there really is a god then why does he let people suffer so much?"

Rachel crossed her arms and leaned closer to her, "Perhaps, that why he sent you to us." She then informed the rest of the audience, "Time to finish up boys, dinner will be ready soon." She then turned and went back towards the house.

Jimmy admitted to Frankie, "I'm not much for religion either. But lots of folks around here are. Sometimes, it's best to keep you opinion to yourself in these parts. Folks out here like to talk a lot. Believe me; you don't want to be the subject of that talk when they are saying bad things about ya."

Frankie asked, "You think I should go to church, do what Rachel wants and keep my mouth shut?"

He nodded, "Be the wisest thing to do." He then added, "But from what seen of you…Wisdom doesn't seem to be one of your strong points."

She had to agreed, "No, it's not."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Jimmy had sent up a shooting range on the fence post with tin cans and glass bottles. Frankie stood and watch unenthused.

"Ready for ya, Doc," stated Jimmy.

"I already know how to shoot," she insisted.

He handed her one of his colt pistols by the butt of the gun; he smirked, "Let's see ya."

She took the gun and looked at it. She noticed it looked slightly different than modern revolvers that Serge had her shoot at his gun club. She walked up to the range, leveled the gun and tried to pull the trigger but nothing happened and trigger wouldn't move.

"What's wrong with it?" she wondered.

Jimmy stood looking crossed; for how could someone so smart be so stupid? He lifted an eyebrow and leaned against the barn wall.

"You have to cock the hammer," he informed.

"Oh," she replied sheepishly. She cocked the hammer back, leveled the gun and pulled the trigger. A large puff of black smoke engulfed her. She waved her hand in front of her face a gagged. "What the hell?"

Jimmy stood unimpressed by her reaction to the black powder revolver but found she did indeed hit the target. He walked up to her and removed the gun from her hand.

"I thought you said you knew how to shoot?" he asked.

She pointed to the gun, "What the hell is that thing?"

"A forty-four Colt," he informed.

"Why is it so smoky?" she wondered.

"Um?' he wasn't sure even how to reply. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"My 380 isn't like that," she insisted.

"What's this '380' you speak of?" he asked.

She patted his shoulder, "Stay right here for a minute." She then disappeared into the house.

Kid walked up to see how the shooting lessons were coming. He noticed Frankie was gone.

"Where did Doc go?" he wondered.

"She went inside to get something called a '380.'"

Kid looked about, "She hit one?"

Jimmy nodded, "Nearly chocked on the smoke though."

Kid wondered, "She knew to hold her breath, right?"

Jimmy shook his head, "Nope."

Frankie re-emerged from the house with her backpack. She placed it on the ground behind them, opened it and retrieved a small semiautomatic pistol.

Jimmy spotted the tiny gun; he wasn't sure what type of gun it was for he had never seen anything quite like it.

"What's ya got there, Doc?" he asked.

"My Sig," she informed. Then she walked up to the shooting range, stood a few feet closer than where Jimmy had her stand and opened fire. She never had to cock the gun and it fired with each pull of the trigger. Small brass casing spat out of the gun with each shot and there was little to no smoke. She turned after empty the gun and smiled. "Now that's how it's done," she stated. 

Jimmy held out his hand, "Let me see that."

She placed the unloaded weapon in his hand.

He peered at it curiously and figured out the sliding action rather quickly.

Kid picked up the small casings and held them up to inspect, he showed them to Jimmy, "It's spit these casings out."

Jimmy nodded, "Mighty quick shooting, Frankie. But you missed half the targets and you stood too damn close." He then looked at the sights on the gun, "Can hardly see the sights. How do you shoot this?"

She took the gun from his hand, removed the clip and opened a box of ammo she had tucked into her bag. She showed them how to load the clip and place it in the gun.

"It's an automatic," she informed. "Serge picked it out for me for self-defense."

"Serge?" asked Jimmy.

"My friend…He was military and knows all about guns," she assured. "He's a doctor now…I work with him…Super nice guy."

"So, you friend told you to wear a pistol that is this small?" he asked. "Why not get a larger pistol?"

"Because it's concealable," she replied.

Jimmy wondered, "Why would you need to conceal a gun? You're not a crook."

"No," she agreed, "But that way the crooks don't know you have it."

Jimmy replied, "But if they don't know you have it…They might try to rob ya."

"And if they do," she conceded, "I have my pistol to protect myself."

Kid wondered, "Why not just wear gun belt? Running around with a pistol tucked away is something only criminals do."

"Nobody wears a gun belt in the future, Kid. The state gives us licenses to carry one concealed," she informed.

"Well, that sounds kind of idiotic to me," he informed. "If nobody wears a gun belt then the crooks will think ya all are easy prey."

Jimmy wondered, "Why doesn't anyone wear a gun belt? What about snakes and critters? What do they do with them?"

She did notice everyone was armed in the town and crime was nearly nonexistent. She tried to explain the culture.

"Well, no one goes around wearing a gun belt because it would scare the other people. They might think you are gonna go crazy and shoot up the place."

Kid and Jimmy traded glances.

Jimmy asked, "Why would anyone do that?"

"People have done that," she shrugged. "Crazy people," she reached for an explanation with no real avail.

"People just go crazy and start shooting one another?" asked Kid.

She nodded, "Well, no…The crazy person usually goes on a shooting spree and then kills himself when the cops arrive. Everyone else isn't armed. But in some cases someone was carrying a concealed weapon and was able to stop the crazy person before the cop got there."

Jimmy asked, "Wouldn't it be easier of everyone just carried a gun belt so they can shoot the crazy when they start shooting?"

She pondered, "I suppose."

Kid asked, "So, in your future…You have no horses, no guns and crazies running around shooting up the place?"

She nodded.

Kid huffed, "And you act like we're backwards."

She sighed, "Actually, you guys are a lot smarter than I thought your generation would be. The history books kind made you guys out to kind of dumb…I guess."

"When you say 'dumb' you mean unlearned?" asked Kid.

She nodded.

"Why would your books do that?" asked he.

She shrugged, "I really don't know." She looked at Jimmy and suggested, "Give it run and tell me what you think of my pistol. Then show me what 'black powder' is."

"Okay," he agreed and stepped up the range. He leveled the gun and shot off one round. It missed the target. He stepped a few closer and let off another round and this time his target. He looked back at Frankie and hollered, "This gun needs a longer barrel to get better rang. It's like a derringer."

"That's why it's for self-defense," she informed.

"Then why not get a derringer?" he wondered.

"I get multiple shot with it," she informed.

He asked, "Why you need so many shot shooting that close? One should do it."

"Because anyone trying to harm me will be hyped up on drugs and will probably not know they are shot," she replied.

Jimmy wondered, "What kind of drugs you all got?"

She had to admit, "Pretty powerful drugs."

He shrugged and shot off the rest of the round in the magazine. He came back to her carrying the empty gun and placed it in her hands.

"Not impressed," he informed.

"What's wrong with it?" she wondered.

"Gun's too small, no range, kicks too hard in the hand, them there cartridges can get jammed in the feeding mechanism, that sliding top part kind of annoys me," he admitted.

"You prefer your Colts to this?' she asked amazed considering all the men from her time preferred semiautomatics.

He leaned closer and replied, "I would prefer a Remington to that!"

She smirked, "I take you are name brand sensitive."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The local Saturday evening dance soon arrived. Frankie wasn't sure what to expect from the dance but knew if she did not attend then Rachel would be very upset. Thus, she agreed to go much to her dismay.

The first clue Frankie had that the evening would end in disaster was the dress that Rachel had presented her with. It was the ugliest dress Frankie had ever seen…A long flowing dress that was emerald green in color.

Frankie was use to the slim fitting short evening dress of the modern age but suddenly the "modern age" was far from her expectations. She looked the dress over and noticed the garment from the waist down was rather puffy. Her face soured.

"What the hell?" she asked. She then fiddled with the dress until finally she had hoisted it over her head and slid her arms through the torso. It was sleeveless and showed much shoulder. She looked at herself in the mirror on her dresser and made a disturbed face.

"There is no way I am wearing this," she muttered.

Rachel walked into the room with more accessories for the outfit. She looked and gave a nod of approval.

"Good, it fits," she remarked.

"Fits?" she asked. "This doesn't fit...It's huge."

"You are not dressed yet," she rebutted.

Frankie replied, "Even with a set of pantyhose and a slip this thing is too big."

Rachel looked rather confused, "What are pantyhose?"

"Stockings," she replied.

"I brought you stocking," she held up a pair of white stockings before Frankie's eyes. She continued, "Here are your bloomers and your corset."

"My what?" she asked unsure.

"Corset?" ask Rachel.

"That thing that looks like a straitjacket," she pointed towards the contraption.

"It's your corset," she assured. "Now, slip off that dress and let's finish getting you dressed."

Frankie held the corset before her and shook her head, "There is no way I'm wearing that."

Rachel assured, "It's to slim your waist."

Frankie spouted, "Not wearing it."

"All the ladies wear one," assured Rachel.

Frankie rebutted, "If all the ladies jumped off a cliff would you jump a cliff too?"

Rachel placed the garments on the bed and retorted, "Just get dressed," she then promptly left the room closing the door behind her.

Frankie looked over the bloomers and spouted, "You have got to be kidding me."

**Short Time Later**

The boys and Lou were all dressed in their best suits. They stood around the wagon waiting for Rachel to emerge from the house with Frankie. Soon the women emerged before them.

Rachel was dressed in a lovely blue dress and black shawl covering her shoulders. She had dressed Frankie in the emerald green dress and lent her a white shawl to cover her shoulder. Rachel had already had words about Frankie not tightening the corset enough and it being too loose. She soon gave up on the quest and simply wanted the evening over and done with for arguing with Frankie proved exhausting.

Frankie stepped on the porch and her eyes fell upon Lou wearing a suit; she spouted, "Can I just wear what Lou is wearing?"

Rachel shot her a look, "No."

Teaspoon wondered, "Why on earth would you want to wear Lou's clothes?"

Lou looked at the ground hoping her cover was not blown.

Frankie scoffed, "Would you like to wear this dress, Teaspoon?"

He shook his head, "Nope…I can't say I would."

"Then shut up," she scoffed.

Teaspoon did not reply but his eyebrow rose considerably.

Jimmy walked up to Frankie and offered his arm, "May I help you on the wagon?" He found her very pretty and was hoping she might find him handsome in return.

She asked, "I have to ride on the wagon?"

Teaspoon replied, "You can also walk if you wish."

She rolled her eyes, "Fine." She took the arm and let Jimmy help her on the wagon and sat next to Teaspoon in the driver's seat.

Jimmy then helped Rachel up as well.

Rachel spouted, "Frankie, move over."

"There isn't much room up here," she scoffed.

"Just move over," she insisted, "and be mindful of your dress."

"You know there would be more room up here if you didn't force me to wear a freaking cage."

"It's called a bustle," she reminded.

Frankie huffed, "It sucks."

Rachel reprimanded, "You will never get a husband with that attitude."

"Who says I want a husband?" she miffed as she sat down, "Meaningless sex will do just fine."

Rachel warned, "You are hurting my ears."

Frankie retorted, "This thing is hurting my ass."

Billy whispered to Jimmy in jest, "I pity the man she marries."

Jimmy did find Frankie's rant humorous but not the expense of her reputation for Jimmy was growing fond of Frankie. For Jimmy, Frankie's attitude and wit was a breath of fresh air in the old stale town.

"I would pity the man who let her get away," he countered.

Billy stood confused for he didn't expect such an answer. The boys then piled into the back of the wagon with Lou in their midst. Teaspoon gave the signal to the team of horses and they slowly started into town.

**Dance**

The local dance was hosted in the town hall. The hall was rather large over all, a white wooden structure with large a row of large windows on each side. The chairs had been cleared away to open the floor to dancing. A large buffet had been set up on a table in the rear of the hall. Chairs lined the walls for guest to sit upon. A small four man band stood in the corner.

The band was most unique for Frankie for it sported a fiddle, a cello, a banjo and a guitar. The musicians were men and dressed in black suits with western style ties.

Frankie entered the room on Jimmy's arm and she looked about. Her eyes fell on the band and the very strange music they played.

She asked Jimmy, "What are they playing?"

"_Come, Where My Love Lies dreaming_," he informed.

"No, I mean the song," she assumed he was making a joke.

"That is the song," he replied.

"Oh," she pondered, "they like long titles, huh?"

"I suppose," he shrugged. He asked, "What music is popular where you're from?"

"Rock and roll," she replied.

Jimmy pondered and asked, "What is that?"

"A cross between blues and upbeat music," she tried to explain.

"When did they start giving music colors?" he asked.

"They don't," she replied.

"Why would they call it blue then?" he wondered.

She shook her head, "I think blue as in feelings, not a color."

Jimmy stood and pondered, "So you have depressing music?"

She found she was forced to think about her own culture and then came an alarming conclusion, she agreed, "I guess."

Rachel walked up to Jimmy and whispered in his ear, "Why not asks Frankie to dance?"

He looked at Rachel and shrugged.

She gave him a nudge, "You can be her escort," she then took Teaspoon by the arm before he could find a young pretty girl to dance with. She greeted, "Teaspoon, won't you dance with me?"

He became very meek and gentlemanly, "Much oblige, ma'am." Rachel led the Marshal to the dance floor and then looked over at Frankie and Jimmy standing together. Her mind churned for they looked good together.

She had always worried about Jimmy and his natural tendency to get into much trouble; she feared the young man would end up dead long before his time. Frankie seemed to be her godsend for Jimmy for she was witty, strong willed and seemed to be able to connect with Jimmy far better than the rest of the boys or even Lou. She wondered if perhaps the reason God had sent her was to help Jimmy. For Frankie seemed to be the only person Jimmy seemed to really connect with and she seemed to not be intimidated by him like most of the young women in the town. Though Frankie knew far more about Jimmy then Jimmy knew, she didn't seem to be afraid of him, she could stand up to him and show him new ideas. As she looked on, the pair slowly took the dance floor and Rachel smiled to herself.

Teaspoon asked, "You're smiling?"

"I think I know why God sent Frankie to us," she admitted.

Curiously he asked, "Why?"

"To save Jimmy," she grinned. "Look at them…They are beautiful together."

He glanced over at the couple, "Well, look at that…She got Jimmy to dance. That boy never dances."

Rachel smiled keeping the truth to herself, "That she did."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Dance **

The dance continued into the night. Frankie and Jimmy found themselves dancing the night away. The town seemed most impressed by the new doctor after Rachel had dressed her properly. The people greeted her and seemed most cheerful.

Lou stood to the side of the hall wishing she could be dancing, wishing she was wearing that gorgeous green dress that Rachel had lent Frankie. She would have given anything to be dancing in that hall in Kid's arm.

Kid walked up to her in the hall; he noticed she seemed distant, "Hey," he nudged her.

She looked back, "Hey Kid."

"What'cha doing?" he asked.

"Nothing," she replied depressed.

He asked, "Why aren't you dancing?"

She shot him a look, "Who am I gonna dance with?"

"Come on," he took her by the hand and led outside for a moment alone.

**Meanwhile**

Billy decided to ask a young girl to dance but found he was having trouble getting any girl to dance with him. He stood frustrated trying to figure out what he was doing wrong.

A few of the local and more popular girls walked by him and one of the girls giggled as they walked by an waved to him.

"Hi Billy," she giggled.

He became coy, "Would you like to dance?"

She giggled and shook her head no and then quickly snuck away.

He stood and pondered, "Now, how am I supposed to be famous if I can't even get a dance?"

Buck looked on and shot his friend a grin, "Maybe you become a famous buffalo herder…Buffalo Bill?" he teased.

Cody scoffed, "Funny."

Buck miffed, "I thought it was."

**Dance Floor **

The song soon ended and Frankie decided she needed a break. She released her grip from Jimmy's hand.

"I think I need to sit down?" she suggested.

"Feeling alright?' he asked curiously.

She miffed, "Actually…I'm feeling sea sick…Too much bobbing up and down."

Jimmy escorted her to the refreshment table. He wondered why she found the dancing so tedious. He retrieved a glass of punch.

"You don't dance like this where you're from?" he asked.

She shook her head, "Nope."

Curiously he wondered, "Well, how do men and woman dance where you're from then?"

She pondered, "Well, we really don't dance…More like jumping around."

He gave a confused look and wondered, "And you're getting sea sick?"

She nodded, "Yeah."

He shook his head, "You sound like your come from a very strange place."

She puckered in thought, "I wouldn't say that…Just different."

Rachel came up behind her. She was most pleased to see Frankie blending in with the town and the people.

"I see you two are having fun," assured Rachel.

"Frankie says she's sea sick," reported Jimmy.

Rachel gave a look, "Sea sick?"

Frankie nodded, "Too much bobbing up and down. Boy, your dances are weird."

"Weird? How so?" she asked curiously. She never thought of such an event as a dance as strange or weird.

"The songs are lame, the dance moves are lame, there is no bar and you got this silly…Well, the cakes and pies are kind of cool," she admitted.

Rachel asked, "When you say 'lame' you mean 'bad'?"

"If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck…Then it's a duck," she remarked.

Rachel stood confused, "What do ducks have to do with any of it?"

"Never mind," she miffed.

Rachel suddenly realized they were missing two riders; she looked about, "Where did Kid and Lou go?"

Frankie shrugged, "I have no idea…Maybe they went for a roll in the hay?"

Rachel pondered the innuendo, "You don't think?"

"I would," she admitted.

"Oh my lord," she pondered. "Stay here, I will go check." She left concerned for the young riders' futures.

Jimmy asked, "When you say 'roll in the hay' you don't mean…You know?"

She nodded with a smirk.

"You don't think they are…?" he wondered.

Frankie chuckled, "Are you kidding me? Kid is the king of 'lame.' He's kind of cute but boy…He acts like a little old man at times…Reminds me of my brother."

Jimmy asked, "You have a brother?"

She nodded, "Clair," she snickered, "He hates that name…Apparently it's a family heirloom."

Jimmy admitted, "I that was my name I would hate it too."

**Meanwhile**

Kid and Lou were outside dancing to the music by a fence. The music stopped and they used the few minutes they had to enjoy one another's company.

"Music stopped," stated Kid. He didn't want to let her go, she smelled so good in his arms.

"Have to get back," she informed.

"I know," he sighed. He was about to steal a kiss when they heard a blood curdling scream.

"What was that?" asked Lou.

"Don't know," replied Kid concerned.

They heard a woman crying for help and followed the noise. They rounded the corner and found Rachel on the ground holding her ankle. She was crying in pain.

Lou rushed to her, "Rachel, what's wrong?"

Rachel looked up, her face was pale and tears streamed down her face as she shook.

"Lou, be careful…There's a rattler about. It bit me," she informed.

Kid looked about for the snake and Lou went to her aid. She leaned down beside her and looked at the blood oozing from the bit...It was bad, very bad.

"It will be okay," Lou tried to sooth her.

"Get Frankie, Lou…She's my only hope," Rachel insisted, "Get Frankie! Please, get Frankie."

Kid ordered, "Lou stay with Rachel…I'll get Frankie."

**Short Time Later**

Frankie had Rachel carried back to the house. She quickly went to work upon finding Rachel had been bit by a viper. She dug out her snake bite kit and injected Rachel with the little antidote she brought with her. She then cleaned the bite area the best she could.

The boys all sat in the living room waiting for news on Rachel's conditions. Jimmy stood at the door of the room and watched as Frankie had given Rachel a number of shots. He assumed that somehow that was all that was needed and some miracle cure resided in the special red bag.

Frankie emerged from the room very tired and looking very worried. She let out a sigh as she gathered her thoughts.

Jimmy suggested, "Rachel is gonna be alright. You gave some medicine."

Frankie sucked in a breath and slowly exhaled before she spoke, "Even where I am from a snake bite can kill. She's still in very grave danger."

Jimmy countered, "But I saw you give her a bunch of shots."

"I gave her all the antidote I had with me but it won't be enough," she informed. "Snake bite antidote isn't widely available and the only reason I got some was because of my friend Serge…Our resident snake bite expert... Gave it to me. I wish he was here but he's not. I gave what little I had and some medicine to help her sleep. She's very ill," she warned.

Lou countered, "But you have red bag with all that medicine stuff in it."

"It's just a fancy first aid kit, Lou…What she needs is a hospital…She needs intensive care and far more equipment and support than what I have."

Billy asked concerned, "Is Rachel gonna die?"

"She might," she admitted.

Lou countered, "No, you can save her…You have that special bag, you know all this stuff…You can save her."

"Lou, surviving a snake bite in my time…Over a hundred years from now…Is still a major challenge. People still die of snake bites in the future. We have saved many but not everyone."

Teaspoon asked, "What do you gather are Rachel's chances of surviving this?"

"Maybe about fifty percent…That's providing the snake didn't inject more venom than what I have the antidote for," she replied. "And is she does survive the bite there is a good chance I will have to take the leg."

Lou suddenly grew pale and found herself sitting back down upon feeling light headed. Any hope for Rachel making a miraculous recovery was shattered with Frankie's words.

Jimmy stated, "If taking the leg will save her life…Then take the leg."

Frankie shook her head, "If I amputate her leg now she will not survive the operation…She is too ill." She continued, "I'm going to change out of these clothes…Keep an eye on her for me. I'll be right back." Frankie walked past them towards the stairs to her room.

The riders all looked at one another. No one really knew what to say.

Teaspoon suggested, "You boys try and get some sleep…I will stay with Rachel until Frankie comes back down."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**Next Morning**

Rachel had made it through the night with Teaspoon and Frankie both by her side. They agreed to take turns napping and watching her vitals for that was all Frankie could do.

The doctor had never felt so helpless. Her friend desperately needed advanced medical care and all she had was a first aid kit that was now nearly empty. All she could do was watch Rachel's breathing and pulse rate and hope that she didn't go into cardiac arrest.

Treating someone in cardiac arrest was nearly impossible to achieve in a well-stocked hospital but in the current situation, if Rachel heart stops beating there is no way Frankie would have even a slight chance at starting it again.

The morning sun broke through the window and shined onto the young doctor sleeping sitting up in a chair next to Rachel's bed. The light shined bright waking her from her slumber. Frankie woke up with a stretch and a yawn. She looked across the bed to Teaspoon who was still awake and sitting in the other chair watching Rachel intently. The old man never slept and stayed awake watching Rachel the entire night.

"How's she doing?" asked Frankie.

Teaspoon reported, "She's hanging in there. Her breathing is getting harder though. It's the venom."

"I don't have enough antidotes," she informed. She reached for her stethoscope and put it in place. She intently listened to the breathing and heartbeat. She let out a sight, "Her breathing is getting more labored. It's the toxins in the venom suppressing her system."

"I know…I've seen what a snake bite does to a body before," he admitted. Teaspoon understood Rachel would have already died if it weren't for Frankie's antidote. He asked, "How do you make that antidote stuff?"

"You need an actual snake to milk the venom from it…Then inject small amounts of venom into a horse, let the horse build up antibodies and separate the antibodies out of the horse's blood with a centrifuge. The antidote would be very raw but it could possibly work."

Teaspoon pondered, "We could do that."

"It would take weeks," she countered.

He pondered, "What about hogs? We use them root out a viper den because a bite can't harm 'em."

"Pig's blood is too dirty…That's why we use horses," she informed. "When I brought the antidote…I never expected to actually need it. That's why I only brought one vile. If I needed it, I would give the first antidote to myself and call for a life flight to bring me to the hospital. Rachel needs more than one vile of antidote." She tailed off in thought, "Too bad I can't just call for an air lift and have her taken to Saint Mary's. Serge would be there waiting for her and have plenty of antidote ready."

"Air lift?" asked Teaspoon.

"We have cars that fly," she told him, "they're called 'helicopters.'"

"That sounds like an interesting machine," he stated.

"It is," she agreed with a slight smile. She was just thankful that Teaspoon sat with her and she wasn't alone watching her friend die.

Lou walked into the house and approached the door of Rachel's room; she peered inside and looked upon their tired faces.

"How's she doing?" asked Lou.

Frankie shook her head, "Breathing is getting hard for her. Not sure how much longer she can hang on."

"Is there anything else you can do for her?" asked Lou concerned.

Tears ran down Frankie's cheeks as she shook her head, "I've used up my bag of tricks, Lou."

The young rider came into the room and then took a seat at Rachel's bedside. She felt the coldness of Rachel's hand. It was so cold; she never felt such cold on the living being before. Rachel's face was pale, her lips were turning blue. Lou knew the signs of an impending death. She gulped hard searching for something to say.

"Can she hear me?" she wondered.

Frankie didn't know but decided sooth Lou's worry; she replied, "She can. Talk to her."

Lou shook for minute and gathered her thoughts, "Um…Rachel…I want you to know me and the boys are all here and we're all praying for you…"

As Lou spoke to Rachel, Teaspoon was called over to the doorway by Buck. The two whispered back and forth.

Teaspoon waved Frankie to come.

Frankie rose from her seat and gently touched Lou's shoulder in support as she walked by; she kept her voice low as she spoke, "What is it?"

Teaspoon replied, "There appears to be a very strange storm coming this way. The lightening is different colors…Like what you described."

She asked confused, "Really?"

Buck nodded wide-eyed, "It's a devil storm coming right at us. We have to move."

"We can't move Rachel…She is too ill," she rebutted. "Where is this storm?"

"This way," Buck motioned for them to follow.

Buck led them to the front porch and there in the distance was a horrid looking storm bearing right down on them. The boys were busy freeing the horses in fear they would be trapped by the storm.

Teaspoon grew concerned, "I've never seen such a storm before."

Frankie gasped, "That's like bigger version of what brought me here."

Buck suggested, "We need to take shelter."

Frankie suddenly had an idea, "No…If that is what I think it is…It's just what I need. What if the door swings both ways? What if that storm can take me back home?"

Teaspoon pondered, "Well, if that storm is here to take you back home then it appears it's coming right for ya."

Frankie made a face, "It can't be intelligent," she rebutted.

Teaspoon hollered, "Buck, get everyone in the house."

"Will do," he sounded worried as the storm grew closer and more intense.

"Frankie, see to Rachel," he ordered.

She nodded, "Just get everyone inside."

**Moments Later**

The riders had all taken shelter inside the house. Lou and Frankie placed a heavy wool blanket over Rachel's window to protect her from the storm incase glass shattered.

The strange storm rolled over the house with great intensity. The structure shook; widows were blown out as the storm engulfed the home. The storm raged around them and within seconds it was gone just as sudden as it appeared.

Lou and Frankie were lying across Rachel on the bed hoping to protect the ill women from the storm. Remarkably, no one was injured by the flying glass.

Lou looked about, "You okay?"

Frankie nodded, "I am…You?"

Lou looked herself over and nodded, "I think so."

Frankie quickly checked Rachel's falling vital signs and found she was still alive.

"Okay, stay with Rachel and I will check on the boys and Teaspoon." Frankie left the room with Lou still at Rachel's side.

She walked into the room and found the boys were dusting themselves off. They were relived they made it through the storm.

Cody mentioned, "Well, that wasn't so bad."

Kid asked, "How can we be having storms like that way out here?"

"I'm not sure," agreed Teaspoon for it was a very strange storm.

Buck opened the front door to inspect the damage to the station. He looked about the area and then quickly closed the door. He stood staring at the door for a moment and then opened it again. He closed it once more and rubbed his eyes.

Teaspoon asked, "Something wrong, Buck?"

Kid wondered, "Are the horses okay?"

Buck turned about and pondered what to say for he looked very confused, "Um," he started, "I don't know."

Jimmy asked, "What do you mean you don't know? Are the horses okay?"

Buck bit his bottom lip, "I... Ah…I think my eyes are fooling me."

Teaspoon asked, "Your eyes?"

Buck motioned over his shoulder, "I don't know what is out there."

Assuming Buck was being humorous Cody opened the door and looked outside.

He stood and pondered, "Uh?" He rubbed his eyes and looked again. "Hmm," he shut the door and opened back up. "Well, I'll be…"

"What is it?" asked Kid.

Cody motioned, "I don't know. There's lawn outside, this big gray looking road with yellow stripes and really weird looking carriages going back and forth with no horses to pull them…And they seem to be going very fast."

"What?" asked Kid. "That's impossible," he stated and then looked outside. He took a step back and looked about. He closed to door and opened it and then rubbed his eyes.

"Kid?" asked Teaspoon.

"Um," he shrugged. "I got nothing! I don't know where we are but that's not Rock Creek."

Frankie went to the door expecting to suddenly see Alice from _Wizard of Oz _standing before her but instead found a grass, a paved street, and cars going by.

"I'm home," she informed.

Kid asked, "That's home?"

She nodded, "Yes…My phone…" she went running past them towards her room to find her cell phone.

Jimmy pondered, "If that out there is 'home' and Frankie is from the future…Then we are…"

"No," rebutted Kid, "no, can't be…"

Teaspoon stepped through the door and onto the porch. He looked about the area. He spotted the funny looking horseless carriages zooming by on the big gray road. He noticed the green lawns, the flower beds and the sidewalks. He also noticed a sign before them on the lawn. He walked outside as the boys stood too afraid to leave the safely of the porch. He stood in front of the land marker and read it aloud.

"The Pony Express Way Station House for Rock Creek. Rock Creek Historical Society Landmark. Museum Hours are Monday - Friday 10 am to 4 pm. On Saturdays Museum hours are 10 am to 6 pm and on Sunday museum hours are 11 am to 4 pm."

Kid asked, "What does that all mean?"

Teaspoon shrugged, "I suppose it's a museum."

Jimmy walked onto the grass as well to look at the sign; he spouted, "This can't be a museum." His eyes fell on the marker. "Hmm, what that supposed to mean?"

Teaspoon shrugged, "I think it's a museum."

Frankie then comes running from the house with cell phone up to her ear, she speaking frantically.

"I need life flight to…Where am I?" She spotted the marker, "I'm in the Rock Creek Historical Society Museum for the Pony Express Way Station. I have a female who has suffered a snake bite to the right ankle and she needs to be flown to Saint Mary's stat."

She paused a moment and replied.

"I'm Dr. Peterman and will be going with my patient. I have given her one vile of anti-venom last night. Have Dr. Hicks on standby." She then looked over at the riders who seemed most perplexed. She suddenly realized not only did the strange storm bring her and her very ill patient home but everyone in the house as well. Her eyes grew wide, "Oh shit, you guys came here too."

Kid asked, "Where is 'here?'"

She shrugged and shook her head, "Your world and my word have somehow…Collided."

Jimmy asked, "So, what do we do when worlds collide like this?"

"I have no idea," she told them.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The boys all stood on the green lawn before the house as an array of cars came to Frankie's call for help. A police car came along with animal control and an ambulance came to bring Rachel to the helo pad for the medical helicopter to transport her to Saint Mary's.

Frankie was too concerned for Rachel, for she was critically ill, to stay with the boys. She hopped in the back of the ambulance with the paramedic and abandoned the riders and Teaspoon to the authorities.

A police officer wearing black uniform and sporting sunglasses approached the boys. He assumed they were part of the acting troop.

"Morning," he greeted them.

The boys all looked at Teaspoon to speak for them.

Teaspoon noticed the badge, "Morning officer," he looked for name, "Cox."

He asked, "Anyone know where the rattler went? We can't have a lose viper on the museum grounds."

Teaspoon arched his eyebrow and replied, "Honestly, I believe it's long gone."

The man from animal control walked up to the officer and the riders. He too assumed they were museum actors and chatted away casually.

"Morning," he greeted them.

Teaspoon read the name "Ray" over the left breast pocket of his blue uniform; he nodded, "Morning Ray."

He held a pole and asked, "Where's the viper?"

"I'm pretty sure it's gone by now," he replied.

The boy all whispered amongst themselves.

Kid asked, "Who are these guys talking to Teaspoon?"

Buck shrugged, "I don't know."

Jimmy suggested, "I think one is a copper. Not sure about the other."

Cody added, "That thing he came here in says 'Animal Control' on it."

Jimmy smirked, "Maybe he's here for you, Cody."

"Very funny," he rebutted not amused.

Ike made a signal to Buck who then nodded.

"Ike has a point," remarked Buck. "If we are in Frankie's world and the Way Station is now a museum then where are we supposed to sleep and work now?"

They all traded glances.

Teaspoon casually chatted with the police officer though he was rather worried now that Frankie had abandoned them when she went into the ambulance with Rachel.

The officer spotted the badge, "So, you play the Marshal. Who is your character?"

"Teaspoon Hunter," he replied playing along with it. It was most bizarre thing Teaspoon had even encountered. Frankie had emerged in his town out of nowhere and thought he was an actor and now he had emerged in her world and everyone still thinks he's an actor. He wondered if perhaps the average person had lost their means of reasoning.

"Marshal Hunter," the officer played along, "so, you have you had to lock up any rowdy tourist lately?" he chuckled.

Teaspoon shook his head, "Nope…Had one that was lost though."

"Did he find his mommy?" the cop laughed.

He crossed his arms unenthused, "She found her way home."

The patted his arm, "Just kidding ya. I know you re-enactors tend to take the part to heart. You do a good old west marshal…Almost like the real thing."

Teaspoon cocked an eyebrow not amused at all.

The officer's cell phone rang.

"Excuse me while I take this," he remarked. "Hello?"

Teaspoon stood and watched the officer and could only wonder just what happened to society to have such a result.

"Sure," he nodded. "Okay…Got it." He pressed a button on his phone and placed it back in the holster. "I got a call from fire control. Apparently, Dr. Peterman called and said you guys were new in town and she booked ya a few hotel rooms to stay at in Saint Mary's. She's getting you a rental to use. She says for you to wait in the park and she will pick you up."

Teaspoon gave a nod, "Where is this here park?"

The officers chuckled, "Boy, you got that accent thing down pat." He pointed, "Over there!"

Teaspoon looked across the street and discovered a beautiful park with benches, lots of shaded trees and a water fountain in the center of a walkway. It looked very pleasing to the eye.

"Much obliged," he tipped his hat to the officer and excused himself.

The cop laughed; "Man…You're good," he then went back to his cruiser.

Kid asked, "What are we supposed to do now, Teaspoon? Where are we?"

Teaspoon soothed him, "We are still in Rock Creek…Just we are in a different Rock Creek. Frankie already got us a place to stay for now and she will be coming back to get us. We just have to wait in that park over there."

Jimmy looked about, "That's it…Just sit and wait?"

Teaspoon nodded, "I think that would be best. Hickok, you don't want to mess with the law here."

Jimmy huffed, "I could take that guy."

Teaspoon nodded, "You could but he's not that bright. Do you recall when Frankie first came to town and thought we were all actors in some sort of museum?"

The boys and Lou nodded.

"Well, they think we are all actors in the same museum," he informed.

Kid huffed, "Is the whole town stupid?"

Teaspoon pondered in thought, "Could be."

Lou asked, "What do we do? How do we get back home? How did we even get here?"

"I'm not sure, Lou," Teaspoon replied. "I don't have the answers to any of those questions. But, we are in Frankie's world now…She knows we are here and will help us in much the same way we helped her."

Kid asked, "How do you know she will help us?"

Teaspoon replied, "Well, if that police officer is anything like the rest…She would be brighter than them. Besides, do you think she would not help us after she has been trying to save Rachel's life?"

"I guess not," agreed Kid.

"Good," he nodded. "Now, let's just take a seat on a bench in that lovely park and simply wait." he walked by them towards the edge of the road and looked for oncoming traffic. "It seems the…'Cars'…Have stopped." He walked onto the road and stood on it. He tapped it surface with his toe, "Seems hard," he reported.

He then heard a blaring horn and looked up to see a car coming right at him. Teaspoon quickly scooted out of the way.

As the sports car went screaming by at an illegal speed the driver held up his middle finger and shouted a rude remark.

Teaspoon stood on the other side of the road and the boys and Lou all looked at one another all in shock

Kid huffed, "I guess we have to cross that thing."

Cody stated, "I suggest we look both ways and then run."

Lou huffed, "That thing nearly hit Teaspoon!"

Jimmy pondered, "How fast do you think that thing was going?"

Kid remarked, "Faster than lightening."

Buck remarked, "It was a loud blur."

"This place is insane," mentioned Kid.

Jimmy shrugged, "Ah, it's not that bad, Kid. Just cross the road and don't get hit."

"You first," he huffed.

"Fine," Jimmy walked up to the edge and tapped the road with his boot. "It's like some kind of rock," he mentioned. He then looked both ways to ensure nothing was coming and then strutted across to the other side. He turned around and waved his arms up, "It's easy! See…Anyone can do it! Just don't get hit!"

Kid muttered, "This place is insane."

Lou spoke to the boys, "Okay…How about we all go together at once?"

Billy asked, "What's the matter, Lou? Scared of a road?"

"Not the road…The things on the road," she huffed.

"Ah, don't be such a chicken," he teased and was about to walk across when another car went zooming by. He paused in thought. "They really need to put a bridge or something here." He then safely jogged across the road eager to get to the park.

Kid looked on at Ike, Buck and Lou, "We can all go together. At once, we first make sure none of those things are coming and then we go right across and do not stop."

"Agreed," stated Buck.

The four quickly crossed the road relived to be on the other side.

Teaspoon mentioned, "I never thought crossing a road could be so difficult."

Kid huffed, "This place is insane."

Jimmy rolled his eyes, "We just got here. Come on, Frankie lives here. If she can live here and be perfectly normal we can too."

Kid asked, "Whoever said Frankie was normal?"

Cody added, "She's crazy as you Jimmy."

He rolled his eyes.

Teaspoon ordered, "Boys, we wait for Frankie to come back in the park. So, simply take a seat under one of them there lovely shaded trees."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**Hospital**

Rachel arrived in the hospital with Frankie running beside the gurney. She spotted her friend Serge and called for him.

"Serge," hollered Frankie.

Serge was already prepared for the incoming patient and surprised to find his friend was with her.

He asked, "Where the heck have you been, Frankie? You were supposed to have come back to work yesterday!"

"It's a long story," she informed.

"What do we have?" he went right to his patient.

"Her name is Rachel Dunne. She's thirty years old and was bitten by a rattlesnake last night. I gave her the vial of antidote in my first aid kit last night. It's not enough…She needs more."

He nodded, "Okay," he addressed the nurse, "Get me a blood work up on her and put her in the trauma bay. I'll get the more serum ready."

For a brief moment Rachel regained some consciousness; she looked about groggily, "Where am I?" she asked unsure.

"You're in the hospital," assured Frankie.

She looked over to the tall black doctor standing beside her; she wondered, "Who's he?"

"That's my friend Serge, his name is Dr. Hicks and he's gonna take good care of you," Frankie informed.

"But he's a Negro," stated Rachel a bit confused.

"I prefer black," he rebutted unenthused.

Frankie spoke to her friend, "Serge, I can't explain everything but believe me, Rachel is no racist…She just really out of it right now…Don't take it personally."

"Okay," he agreed figuring Frankie maybe correct for the patient was gravely ill. He then went to get the serum as Frankie stayed with Rachel and the nurses who tended to her.

Rachel was going in and out of consciousness. She really no idea what was going on around her and soon found she was under a bright light and surrounded by noise. She heard a constant beeping sound and wondered what it could be.

"What is that?" she asked Frankie.

"It's a heart monitor," she tried to sooth her friend.

"Why is it so loud?" she wondered.

"It's to tell us your heart is beating okay," she explained. "It's going to be okay, Rachel. I've got you to a hospital and they are going to give you more antidote for the snake bite. You got a very good chance of recovering fully."

She wondered, "Am I in your hospital? From the future?"

The nurses all traded glances as Frankie debated what she should reveal. She wasn't afraid everyone would think she was crazy for in order to work in an Emergency Room one must be a little off to begin with. She feared the unknown. Who or what was behind the strange storm and knowing there is a military base near the town, her first suspicion fell upon the military for she could think of no one else that would be dumb enough to experiment with such technology.

"You're in my hospital, in Saint Mary's. Everyone is here, Teaspoon, the boys and Lou. We are all here with you in Saint Mary's." She looked at the nurses and explained, "She's from out of town."

One of the nurses nodded, "I gathered…And likes to wear really outdated outfits."

Frankie fell back on her first mistake as a cover; she explained, "She's a re-enactor from Rock Creek."

The lie seemed more plausible than Frankie being from the future and thus the nurses believed it. Rachel went back to sleep and Serge walked in holding another vile of antidote.

He looked at Frankie, "I got it from here, Frankie." He then went to tend to his patient and Frankie found she was now no longer needed. She slipped outside and took a seat on a chair and simply sat for a minute.

She was home, she was finally home and glad to be home but now she had an even bigger problem….What to do with a bunch of Pony Express riders and a US Marshal from the past? There was no way she was going to the government.

She placed her head in her hands and wondered how on earth she would get them back home. How would she support them now that they were here and how long will they be here. She found it difficult enough to fit into their time. She was certain there was no way they fit into her time.

**Park**

As they sat in the park the boys all watched the most bizarre array of people come walking through. They spotted elderly people walking through with very small dogs on leashes. They found young women jogging through the park wearing clothing that was far more revealing than what Frankie sported. They discovered men roaming through the park dressed in some bizarre fashion wearing pants that hung too low.

Two young women went jogging by wearing very skimpy clothing as the boys, Lou and Teaspoon just sat on the park benches.

Kid mentioned, "I will never tell Frankie her ankles are showing too much ever again."

Cody grinned, "I think I could get used to this."

"I can't," huffed Lou disgusted.

Cody laughed to himself finding Lou's anguish rather humorous.

"I'm not too sure I could get used to this either, Lou," admitted Teaspoon.

Jimmy asked, "Why not, Teaspoon?"

"Well, it seem this here park is like a circus and the side show is presented free of charge," he informed. "I can't for the life of me figure out why those there young boys are wearing the trousers so low? Is there a shortage of suspenders here?"

"I haven't seen one set of suspenders," mentioned Kid. "But why are they wearing those funny looking hats? Remember those hats from that silly baseball game? It looks kind of like them hats but why are they wearing the crooked?"

Jimmy pondered, "I'm wondering why those boys are wearing so much jewelry? Get robbed wearing that much gold."

Cody wondered, "Maybe in the future everyone is rich?"

Jimmy gave a cockeyed look, "Frankie never said everyone was rich."

Cody countered, "She never said that boys run around with their pants down either."

"It's embarrassing," mentioned Lou very disgusted.

As they sat and chatted to pass the time waiting for Frankie to return they noticed a commotion in the park. A small nerdy looking teenage boy was walking with a device in his hands and was then suddenly approached by a gang of bigger teens who were all dressed like thugs with low hanging trousers and lots of jewelry. They started shoving the nerd and demanding he give them the device he held.

"Give me the phone," one of the bigger teens tried to grab it from the younger's hands.

The teen held tight onto the device, "No…Let go…I'll call the cops."

One of the thugs then punched him once hard in the head and boy dropped for he was no match for the gang.

They laughed at him as they took his iphone and started to walk away with it.

Teaspoon gave a look to the boys who all stood up. They soon surrounded the teens who just stole the phone. The teens assumed they were actors from the neighboring museum.

Teaspoon started, "We all saw what ya all did back there."

The leader who held the iphone huffed, "So what, grandpa…Go take your nap."

His eyebrow lifted considerably as he crossed his arms, "I'm US Marshal Teaspoon Hunter."

The teens laughed thinking he was an actor.

The leader replied, "Fuck off…US Marshal Teaspoon Hunter."

At this point Jimmy was ready to shoot them but could find no just cause. He hoped one of the teens would pull a gun just so he could shoot them.

Teaspoon warned, "Hand over the…'Phone'…And we will forget this whole thing happened.

"Yeah right," the teen laughed and tried to walk past them.

Teaspoon had enough and gave an order, "Boys…You know what to do."

Kid threw the first punch, landing square on the jaw of the lead bully. Needless to say the teens really were no match for the riders and though Jimmy really wanted to shoot the leader he found hitting him just as affective. The teens soon scatter and run off as they quickly discovered they really had no idea how to actually fight.

Teaspoon retrieved the iphone and looked at it curiously. He then noticed the younger teen standing who just witnessed the whole thing. He was just amazed by the event.

Teaspoon presented the stolen property to him, "I believe this belong to you, son."

He slowly took the phone back; wide eyed he looked at Teaspoon, "Thank you, mister…Wow…That was so cool. You guys beat the crap out of them."

It wasn't the response Teaspoon was accustom to, for usually it when he retrieved stolen property, he was graciously thanked and often invited for dinner. Instead, he was thanked and complemented on being ruthless and fighting.

"You're…Um…Welcome," he looked at the boys who all helped and wondered why the little device was so popular.

"What is that they tried to steal?" asked Lou.

He showed her, "My iphone."

"What's an iphone?" she wondered.

"Wow, you guys really take the acting gig to the extreme huh?" he wondered. "Thanks again," he told them and then just walked away.

The riders all just stood and stared at one another.

Kid asked, "What just happened?"

Teaspoon explained, "We just beat back a gang and retrieved stolen property…And everyone thinks we are actors in a museum."

Kid shook his head, "This place is getting more and more insane."

Jimmy nodded, "Frankie is looking pretty normal compared to the rest."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

While the hospital staff tended to Rachel, Frankie had rented a large white van to transport the riders and Teaspoon to Saint Mary's. She arrived at the park and found them sitting on the benches as if nothing had happened.

"Oh thank god," she sighed fearing she would find an array of police vehicles and mysterious government black trucks. She hopped out of the van and immediately called for them. "Teaspoon…Boys…Lou," she waved them to come.

Teaspoon noted, "It appears Frankie is back." He rose to his feet and stretched.

Kid looked over at the parked van next to Frankie and wondered, "What is that white box with wheels?"

Jimmy spouted, "It's one of them fancy cars with an engine that she was telling us about. I bet it's a 'truck'…Looks different from the others."

Kid rebutted, "So do those…'Cars'…With the box in the back. What are those things called?"

Jimmy shrugged, "Box car?"

"Makes sense to me," agreed Buck.

Lou wondered, "Why not call it a buck wagon?" she played on the words in jest for a buckboard and wagon was rather familiar to her.

He smirked, "Funny."

"I thought it was," she grinned back.

They got the van and wondered how on earth they would get inside as they looked upon it. Frankie then slid the side door open to reveal a row of seats.

Jimmy noted, "Well, that seems easy enough."

Teaspoon noted, "A sliding door…Hmm…That could come handy...Should put them on a house."

Kid rolled his eyes, "That's the stupidest thing I ever heard of."

Frankie looked at him unenthused, "We have sliding doors for houses too, Kid. Gawd, you are such a pessimist. What have you been doing since I have been gone? Telling total strangers how to dress?"

He shook his head, "Nope…Didn't say a word," and then he climbed in the van.

Teaspoon asked, "How's Rachel doing?"

"She's going to be fine," she assured. "She is the best possible place to be in the whole state."

"I'm glad to hear that," he admitted.

Jimmy stood and smiled brightly for he was about to impress her with what he figured out; he started, "I know what these things are?"

"What?" she asked confused.

Jimmy pointed to the van, "This here is one of them there trucks you were telling us about." He then pointed to the surrounding vehicles, "That over there is a boxcar and that one over there must be a car."

"Close," she admitted. "That little red on is a car, this is called a van and that 'boxcar' is called a 'truck.'"

"The boxcar is the truck?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Why not call it a boxcar?" he wondered. "It's a car with a box on it."

"I think it was based on the wagon where you can haul things with it…You know…'Truck things around' in it. I have no idea how the van got its name…But ya know…'Boxcar' would kind of fit. It's kind of like a boxcar from a train."

Jimmy pondered, "I guess it would."

Kid yelled from inside, "What are these belts on the seats for?"

"To strap yourself down," she told him.

"What for?" he wondered.

"So you don't fall out," she huffed annoyed.

He waved his arms, "How can you fall out of this? It's a box," he rebutted.

"Just sit down and shut up," she argued. She then opened the passengers' door for Teaspoon, "You can ride up front, Teaspoon. She then shot Kid a dirty look, "While the kids ride in the back."

"Much obliged," replied Teaspoon who then climbed onto the seat. He noticed the belt and fiddled with it.

"Here let me help you with that," she told him and then drew the belt across his middle and showed him how it worked.

"Much obliged," he repeated. "Why exactly do I need to wear this contraption though?"

"It's for safety and it's the law," she informed.

He gave a sigh and muttered, "Whenever they put safety and law in the same sentence it's never good."

She closed his door and told him, "This vehicle can travel at high rates of speed. If we get in an accident and crash, your head could go through that windshield if you are not wearing that belt to keep you in the seat. It's called 'inertia.'"

"I'm well aware of what inertia is, Frankie." He continued, "It's just when it comes to common sense you should need a law."

"I agree," she nodded and then slid the side door shut. She then climbed behind the wheel. "Okay," she let out a sigh, "Let's get you guys to a hotel room."

Lou spoke up, "Frankie…I'm not sure I feel very comfortable about staying in strange place here."

"You can stay with me," she assured her.

Kid added, "I'm not sure I want to stay at some hotel here either."

"Where do you want me to take you then?" she asked confused.

"Can't we all just stay with you?" he asked.

Her mouth dropped, "What?"

Jimmy had no issues staying in a hotel but saw the perfect opportunity to get closer to Frankie; he added, "Well, we did let stay with us at the station free of charge. Rachel even gave you a room and fed ya. She even gave you clothes to wear. You kind of owe it. Besides, what would she think of you sticking us in some strange hotel in this weird place?"

She looked over at Teaspoon who pondered the situation.

He added in thought, "It would be best if we stayed with someone who was familiar with this place."

She rolled her eyes, "Fine! But I don't have enough beds for everyone so…I will have to go to Wal-Martand get some cots, bedding and you guys will all need clothes." She placed her head on the steering wheel, "My god, you guys are max out my credit card."

**Hospital**

Rachel started responding well the treatment and was finally coming around. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked about. She spotted Serge standing next to her bed going over some documents and a petite red headed nurse was adjusted the IV drip that went into her arm. She went to move but the nurse stopped her.

"Don't move yet," she informed. "She coming around, Serge."

He looked up from his paperwork, "Thanks, Becky," he acknowledge the nurses actions. "Just relax Miss Dunne. I'm Serge, Frankie asked me to take care of you."

"Where is Frankie?' she asked.

"She said she had to tend to something urgent," he informed. "Some friends she had to pick up in Rock Creek. She will be back soon."

"You're Serge?" she asked again recalling Frankie's tales.

He nodded, "I'm Doctor Hicks but everyone calls me 'Serge.' Do you like to be called Miss Dunne or another name?"

"It's Mrs. Dunne….But call me, Rachel," she replied. "Where am I?"

"You're in Saint Mary's," he assured. "You suffered a nasty snake bit but we got you stable now. Your blood work is good and we neutralized the venom...Just got to tend to the leg now. You'll be fine," he assured her.

"Will you have to take the leg?" she wondered.

He shook his head, "No, I think we can save it. Gonna need surgery though. Venom is a funny thing…It starts to digest tissue and we have to wait to see the full extent of the damage. But so far it's looking good, so I think we can do some reconstructive surgery."

"You can do that kind of surgery?' she wondered.

"Of course," he gave an assuring smile.

Rachel wondered, "What year is it?"

Serge was taken by the question and replied, "Two thousand and twelve…Why do you ask?"

"She was telling the truth," stated Rachel.

"Who?" asked Serge.

Rachel replied, "Frankie…She really is from the future."

"Um," Serge wasn't sure what to say. He asked, "What year are you from?"

"Eighteen sixty," she informed. "Frankie brought me back with her…Somehow."

"Oookkkay," he patted her hand, "Nurse why not run some more toxin screens for me."

"Right Serge," she agreed figuring Rachel was still ill.

Serge then stepped outside the room and leaned against the wall a bit confused. He dug his phone out of his pocket and dialed Frankie's number.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Frankie had pulled the van into the local Super Wal-Mart to get supplies. She would need extra cots, bedding, and clothing for the riders, Teaspoon and Rachel as well. She looked at the boys sitting behind her in the van. The ride in the van was rather smooth and moved quickly for the boys.

Jimmy had been sitting in the seat behind at an angle and watched Frankie as she drove the van. He watched her every move and how she handled the vehicle.

Jimmy mentioned, "That doesn't seem so hard."

"What?" asked Frankie.

"Operating the controls to this here van...Just move the stick on the column, turn that wheel to steer and press them there pedals on the floor to go and stop." He grinned, "Doesn't seem so hard…I bet I could operate it."

She miffed, "Do you have a license?"

"Um," he pondered, "What license?"

"You need to be licensed to operate a vehicle…That's what these things are called," she informed.

"Is it hard to get one?" he wondered.

She nodded, "Takes practice and you would need to get a permit first."

Jimmy agreed, "When can we do that?"

Irritated she shot him a look, "Not today!"

"Tomorrow then?" he shrugged.

Lou spouted, "I'm hoping we go back home by tomorrow."

Jimmy grinned, "I'm not!"

Lou became curious, "You don't want to go back home?"

He smirked, "We just got here, Lou. Let's see what it's all about."

Kid mentioned, "I've already seen enough…I wanna go back home."

Teaspoon warned the boys, "We could be here a while, boys. We don't know anything about what brought Frankie to us or what brought us to her world. And until we can figure this here out, we might not be able to get back home. I wanna go home too…But we cannot control the weather and that storm is the key."

Frankie pondered, "I wonder if those conspiracy theories are true?"

"What conspiracy theories?" asked Teaspoon.

She admitted, "Well, it may be nothing but a rumor…But there are some theories going around that the government is trying to control the weather with experiments."

Teaspoon asked, "You think the government might be responsible for all this?"

She shrugged, "I wouldn't put it past them."

"Then we should contact your government," he suggested.

She shook her head, "No way."

"Why not?" asked Teaspoon.

"I don't know what will do to you guys," she explained. "They might lock ya up and throw away the key."

"Now why would your government do that?" he asked.

"Do you trust the government?' she spouted.

The riders and Teaspoon all looked at one another and regrettably came to the same conclusion.

"Nope, can't say I do," admitted Teaspoon.

"Neither do I," admitted Frankie. "Alright, this store is rather large. I need you guys to stay with me and not go wandering about. Don't touch anything either!"

Jimmy huffed, "It's a store! Like one of them big city stores…Right?"

"Yes," she agreed and then spotted his gun belt, "You should also take off your gun belt, Jimmy."

"I only take off my gun belt when I'm sleeping, eating, or bathing," he informed.

"Remember when you were giving me shooting lessons and I said no one carries a gun because it would scare people?"

He nodded.

"That would scare people, Jimmy. Please, leave it in the van," she pleaded.

"I might need it," he argued.

"From who?" she wondered.

He replied, "All them crazy people who go around shooting people before killing themselves," he replied. "Those ones you warned me about."

"If people see you walking into a store with that gun belt they are gonna go ape shit," she warned him. "Take it off."

"Fine," he removed the gun belt and then slipped one of his pistols into his coat pocket. He then rolled up the other pistol in the belt and tucked it under the seat.

She asked, "You are seriously gonna walk through Wal-Mart with a Colt in your coat pocket?"

"Yup," he nodded.

She smirked, "But I thought you said only criminals conceal a gun."

"In this weird place…I ain't taking any chances," he smirked back.

Lou wondered, "Should we hide our knives too?"

She shook her head, "No, that won't scare anyone."

"Oh," she nodded relived for most of the riders always had a knife with them at all times and Lou felt safer knowing she had it for protection in this strange world.

Jimmy complained, "They will be scared if they see my pistols but not if they see the lot of us walking through with knives?"

She nodded, "Yeah."

"That's strange," he told her. He then looked at the sliding door, "How do you get out of this thing anyways?"

"Pull the handle in front of your face, Jimmy!" she huffed annoyed.

He did so and door popped open, he slid it back and climbed out of the van and adjusted his hat. He looked over the scene. He spotted lots of cars, trucks and vans throughout the parking lot. He also noticed a man pushing a long line of metal shopping carts into the store.

"What's that guy doing?" he wondered.

"He pushing shopping carts," Frankie informed after locking the van.

Lou wondered, "What's a shopping cart?"

She patted Lou's shoulder, "You get to find out."

The riders walked into Wal-Mart all standing side by side. They paused and looked about. To their left was clothing as far as the eye could see. To their right were rows upon rows of cash registers with only a handful in operation. They spotted the service area and some of the strangest dressed shoppers they have ever encountered. Never before had the riders seen such horridly dressed people: obese people, skinny people, people of all colors and sizes all wearing clothing must unflattering. Their only likening to the spectacle was a side show at a circus.

Kid miffed, "And I thought the park was bad."

Ike made a motion and Buck translated.

"I agree Ike, this worse," nodded Buck.

Jimmy scoffed, "Aw, it ain't that bad."

Lou wondered, "Are those cash registers all lined up in rows?"

Frankie grinned, "Yes, they are Lou…Guessed it right!"

Kid asked, "Why do they have so many?"

"It gets very busy during the holiday seasons," she informed "that when it turns into a circus around here."

Kid huffed, "You mean…It gets worse?"

She nodded.

"What a strange place you live in," he informed.

Cody grinned mischievously, "That I gotta see."

She shot him a look, "I'm not coming here on Black Friday."

"What's Black Friday?" wondered Lou.

"It's the busiest shopping day of the year," she informed. "It's when the store has their Christmas sales."

Teaspoon asked, "So, the stores have sales just for Christmas and makes money on that one day for the whole year?"

"Basically," she agreed.

Lou asked, "So, Christmas is now some shopping day? It's not about Christ our Lord?"

Frankie tried to explain, "It's still a religious day but now there is more gift buying and the stores have these sales right after Thanksgiving to get people to buy more gifts for each other."

"Folks must be rich," assumed Cody.

She shook her head, "No, they are poorer than you guys. They do it on credit or wait all year for the one sale so they can buy crap, they don't really need, to give to people, who don't really want it…All so they can say they celebrated Christmas."

"That's not celebrating Christmas," stated Lou. "That's stealing Christmas."

"Now you know why I'm not religious," she shrugged and then grabbed two carts. She handed one to Lou. "We will need to get a lot of stuff for your stay here. Okay, everybody please just stay with me." She then started to push the cart down the aisle and the riders with Teaspoon followed behind.

She looked back and found they were down the aisle like walking down a street; "Single file," she ordered. "This isn't the Old West!"

They reluctantly fell into a line form with Lou at the front with the other cart.

"Okay," she nodded feeling like she was about to lead a platoon into battle. "Let's get clothing first." She headed into the clothing department with the riders and Teaspoon in tow.

Frankie's phone suddenly rang. She answered it.

"Hey Serge…How is Rachel doing?"

Serge's voice replied, "Does your friend have any history of mental illness?"

"Did she tell you where she is from?" she asked.

"Eighteen sixty!" he replied.

"Serge," she calmly spoke, "She's telling the truth and she's not delusional."

"What?" he asked.

Frankie explained, "I just spent the last week in eighteen sixty," she informed. "I don't know how I got there or how I got back but when I came back, so did everyone else."

"Who is everyone else?" he wondered.

"A U.S. Marshal, some Pony Express riders, Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hickok," she nonchalantly explained.

"Are you serious?" he asked unbelieving.

"As you are black," she assured.

"How?" he asked unsure.

"I don't know…I think it was some sort of weather experiment or something…It was a very odd lightning storm with strange colors." She paused in thought, "You're military…They doing any funky shit?"

He huffed, "They are always doing funky shit. What are you doing with them? You are calling the government?"

"No, they are staying at my house for now," she replied.

"Why?" he wondered.

She huffed, "You're military…You honestly would trust the government with their welfare?"

"No," he had to agree. He thought hard, "Okay, this is what we do. Take them to your place and keep them isolated…Don't let them going wandering about the place. The last thing we need is a bunch of cowboys from the past roaming through Wal-Mart or some shit like that!"

She paused and looked behind her at the line of very confused looking riders.

"You don't say," she muttered.

"Yes, we need to contain this. Keep them out of sight. Last we need is a bunch of cowboys from the past posted all over Facebook," he warned.

"That would be an interesting situation," she had to agree.

"We need containment," he asserted. "You contain them and I will keep Rachel Dunne safe here. I'll get her into a private room and make up a cover for her. I'll catch up with you later to figure this thing out."

"Sounds good," she assured, "See ya then," she hung up the phone and looked about the area. She noticed a stranger taking a picture with his cell phone of the riders dressed in their western gear.

"Hey," she shouted at him, "What the hell are you doing?"

"I gotta post this to Twitter," he told her and walked away.

She hollered back, "They are just a bunch of actors and not the real thing."

He ignored her and kept on walking.

She instructed, "If anyone asks, you are a bunch of actors who got your clothes stolen and you're in costume."

Lou asked, "Was that the doctor taking care of Rachel?"

Frankie nodded.

"She okay?" she wondered.

"She's starting to come around…She's fine," she assured. Then she muttered, "Not sure if we are though."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

**Wal-Mart**

Frankie had the boys start looking for clothing to wear. He found the jeans section and luckily men's clothing was still sized by inches unlike women's sizes. She grabbed pairs upon pairs of jeans and placed them in the cart.

Kid picked up one of the pairs and looked it over; he noted, "It's made of that new denim material."

"They all are," she nodded.

He played with the zipper, "What's this?" he stuck his finger through the fly and held it up.

Jimmy also had found a zipper on another pair of jeans and he too stuck finger through the fly.

"It's called a 'zipper,'" she informed.

Jimmy asked, "Where are the buttons?"

"It's not button fly; those are more expensive," she rebutted. "I'm trying to keep things cheap."

"You just zip it up and down?" asked Kid.

She nodded and stated, "Easy to use."

Jimmy held his thumb through the fly and felt the zipper against his skin; he shook his head, "I don't know…It will be like peeing through jaws of an alligator."

Frankie snatched the pants and put them back in the cart; she huffed, "Thank you for that lovely vision you just planet in my head, Jimmy."

Teaspoon had found some tan trousers and placed them in the cart, "I'll wear these…Not very fond of them dungarees. I also found some suspenders, boys. He held up a pair of white suspenders with red stripes that clipped onto the pants. "And lookie here…It's clips on."

"Nice," agreed Kid. "Why can't them boys in the park wear them though?"

"Not sure,' shrugged Teaspoon. "Prices are high though."

Frankie asked, "You mean the kids wearing their pants down so their underwear shows?"

They nodded.

"It's fashionable right now," she informed.

Kid huffed, "That's fashionable?"

She nodded.

Lou made a face, "I thought it was gross."

"That what makes it fashionable," laughed Frankie. "We will finish getting Teaspoon and the boys their clothing and then get Lou something."

Teaspoon wondered, "Why can't Lou just pick out something now?"

"Are you serious?" Frankie asked. "You really don't know?"

"Know what?" he asked.

Frankie stepped close to Lou and removed Lou's hat. She placed her face right next to Lou's tilted the girl's chin up.

"We're both female," she huffed. "Come on! Open your eyes."

Lou looked down at the ground in shame and very upset that Frankie blew her cover.

He looked over the boys expressions; all gave a pleading look on Lou's behalf.

"Lou?" he asked confused.

"I had to keep it from you," she replied.

"Why?' he asked.

"You'd fire me," she stated.

He paused in thought, "Now why I do a fool thing like that?"

"Because I'm a girl," she reminded.

"Well, you ride just as well as the boys and shoot just as straight," he informed.

Lou's ears perked up, "You won't fire me?"

"I won't," he shook his head. "I just don't know why I didn't see it before?"

"Maybe," she recalled a conversation with Rachel earlier, "You just didn't want to see it because you were afraid you would have to fire me."

"I'm not gonna fire ya," he assured. "No more secrets though."

She agreed, "No more secrets."

Cody whispered to Jimmy, "Is it me or does Lou and Frankie kind of look a lot a like?"

Jimmy stood back and looked at their faces and did indeed find a resemblance. His eye grew wide as he began to wonder if they were somehow related.

He whispered back, "They do kind of look alike," he agreed, "Never noticed it until now."

"I noticed it when Frankie put her face to Lou's," replied Cody. "Should we ask?"

Jimmy huffed, "Not now…Frankie is on a mission. You really want to distract her with that?"

"Nope," Cody agreed.

**Frankie's House**

She pulled into the drive of her small home. It was a two bedroom ranch style house with a single car garage and a fake brick face on the walls. The lawn was neatly groomed; a flowerbed lined the front wall of the home as a sidewalk led to the front door.

"This is where you live?" asked Lou.

She nodded, "Yup."

"It looks very nice," she stated with a smile. "I like the flowers in the font."

Jimmy wondered, "How did ya get that lawn to look like perfect?"

"I hired someone to take care of it. I have a riding mower but I'm too busy to do it," she admitted.

"What's a riding mower?" asked Jimmy.

"I'll show ya later," she replied. "Come on, it's been long day and we still got more to do."

They all climbed out of the van and followed Frankie into her home. The interior was very nice as well. There was a living area with a large soft red sofa and two big red chairs. In center of the area was a large square coffee table and sitting directly across from the sofa was large box-type television set.

Next to the living room was a kitchen with a breakfast bar so one could sit at the bar and see the TV. The kitchen was furnished with all the latest appliances; a silver double sided refrigerator and a matching gas stove. The table was round with white painted legs and a pine top sporting matching chairs. All the cupboards were white and a large lamp hung over the table…Like a small chandelier.

"This is very nice, Frankie," Lou grinned. "What is that large silver box for?"

"That's the refrigerator…It's like an ice box," she replied. "It has water and ice in the door."

Kid asked, "You put water and ice in the door to keep things cold?"

She shook her head, "No, it's a dispenser in the door."

She set down what she carried inside the home and walked into the kitchen with the boys, Lou and Teaspoon all watching curiously. They watched as she got a glass out of the cupboard, went to the fridge, filled it with ice and water and then handed it to Lou.

"Here," she insisted, "try it."

Lou took the glass and slowly took a sip of cold water. She nodded in approval.

"That's really good," she replied, "fresh cold water…Like right out of a mountain spring coming from that little thing in the door."

Frankie nodded, "Ah-ha."

Jimmy spotted a switch on the wall. He pondered as he looked at it.

"What's this do?" he asked as the flipped the switch.

The ceiling light came on.

"It's the light switch," she stated unenthused.

Jimmy and the boys all gazed up at the ceiling as the soft glowing light. Jimmy then flipped the switch off and the light went off. He then flipped it back on. He then flipped it off. On and off, on and off he continued to play with the light.

"Stop that!" she huffed. "You will blow the light bulb."

Jimmy asked, "How does that thing work?"

"It's electric," she informed. "All the rooms have a switch on the wall and a light in the ceiling. You just turn it on and off. No more oil lamps here."

Cody went to the light switch and pondered at the marvel. He scratched his chin in thought.

"Just flip the switch?" he asked and then he started to turn the light on and off as well.

"Stop that," she state annoyed.

Teaspoon admitted, "That there switch would come in handy."

"Yes…It does," she admitted. "Now, this is what we will do. Lou…You can sleep with me in my bed. Jimmy and Billy can have the spare bedroom…You will have to share the bed but it's big enough for two. There is a futon in the basement that Ike and Buck can share."

"What's a…" started Buck.

"It's like a bed," she interrupted. "Teaspoon, I will set you up in a cot in my office. When Rachel gets released, I will set up a cot for her in my room. Kid, you can sleep on the red sofa…It's rather comfortable. It's gonna be a little cramped here but I'm sure will can survive it."

Jimmy spouted, "How come I have to sleep with Cody?"

"Because I said so," she replied not wanting to argue.

Cody rebutted, "Rachel gave you your own room when you stayed with us."

She spouted, "Rachel had the room and it was just one of me. I got all of you and one house to put you all in because you didn't want to go to a hotel." She sighed, "I just dumped over five hundred dollars at Wal-Mart…Let's put the stuff away and get settled."

Jimmy agreed, "Ok…Then we eat?"

"Eat?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm hungry? What ya got to eat?" he replied.

"There's food in the ice box," she pointed towards the fridge.

Jimmy walked over and opened it up. He found it nearly empty on both sides. He looked back at her.

"You ain't got no food in here," he stated.

"Fine, I'll order a pizza," she huffed realizing she certainly didn't have food for them.

Kid wondered, "What's a pizza?"

Frustrated she huffed, "You will find out later…Now, put your shit away!"


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Frankie went to the hospital the next morning to see how Rachel was recovering. She found Rachel had been moved to a private room and was sitting up bed and watching TV. She was removed from the heart monitor but still struggled with the IV for it was irritating her. A tray of half eaten food sat before her as she fiddled with the control.

"Morning," grinned Frankie relived to see Rachel was responding well.

She smiled gratefully to her friend and replied, "Morning, Frankie."

Frankie took a seat in a chair by the bed; she asked, "How you feeling?"

"Amazed," she replied. "I cannot believe I'm alive and in your time."

"You are," she nodded. "So, how are you adjusting?"

"Not bad," she informed. "Dr. Hicks is an excellent doctor. I never met a doctor who was colored before. But I am very happy to have him taking care of me. He's a smart man. Why does everyone call him 'Serge'?"

"He was a sergeant in the Marine Corps," she replied. "Good guy! One of my best friends…Tough as nails too. He's single if you're interested."

Rachel gasped, "No, no…Nothing like that. Beside, that would be illegal."

"What would be?" she wondered.

"Interracial marriage," she replied.

"Not anymore," rebutted Frankie. "People marry people of other decent all the time. So, I see you found the TV."

She nodded, "The nurses showed me how to work things. They are very helpful."

"How's the appetite?" she wondered.

Rachel confessed, "I'm actually hungry but the food here is horrid."

"Yeah, hospital food doesn't taste very good," she had to agree. "I ordered pizza for the riders and Teaspoon last night."

"How are they doing?" wondered Rachel.

"They are adjusting," she assured.

Rachel sighed. "I worry about Jimmy. How is he doing with all this? He's always having such a hard time fitting into the community."

"Actually," Frankie pondered, "he's fitting rather well. It's everyone else that's having trouble adjusting."

"What?" asked Rachel, "Jimmy is fitting in?"

"Yeah, kind of like a duck to water," she shrugged. "Maybe he was born before his time?" she laughed.

"Perhaps?" she agreed.

**House**

Teaspoon and the riders all looked about for something to eat and found little to their liking. All that was left was some left over pizza and some cereal in the cupboards. Frankie left them a note with some money and instructions.

Teaspoon read the note aloud, "Dear Teaspoon. I went to see Rachel at the hospital. Here is some money to buy breakfast for you and the riders. There is a _McDonald's_ in walking distance. Just walk there and come right back."

Kid asked, "What's _McDonald's_?"

"I don't know," admitted Teaspoon.

Jimmy had dug the cereal out of the cupboard and was eating it dry out of the box; he shrugged, "Don't know but anything is better than these things."

"What are you eating?" wondered Lou as she found she didn't want more pizza.

He looked at the front of the box, "Something called 'Cheerios.'"

Teaspoon picked up the money and looked at the back of the note for the hand drawn map on where to walk. He noticed she left forty dollars for them to use.

"Well, boys…And girls…Frankie left us a map and some of their money. It doesn't seem far and I think we can walk to this place."

Jimmy spotted the keys to the rented van sitting on the counter. He picked them up.

"I bet we could just ride down there," he grinned.

Lou huffed, "None of us know how to drive that thing."

Jimmy smirked, "I can figure it out."

"No," she shook her head.

"Hickok," stated Teaspoon. "As much as taking a ride in the van sounds more appealing, I think it would be better if we just followed Frankie's instructions and walked to this…'McDonald's.'"

"Fine," he huffed wishing he could drive the van.

Ike made a motion and buck spoke for him.

"How far is this place, Teaspoon?"

He looked at the instructions, "She says it's two blocks away. That way," he pointed west.

"Doesn't sound like far," agreed Kid.

Cody clapped his hands, "Well, that pizza was pretty good….I can't wait to try this 'McDonald's.'"

Teaspoon found she also left a spare key to the house with the money; he noted, "She says to lock up when we leave."

"Why?" wondered Jimmy.

"She doesn't say why," he remarked. "Come on boys…And ladies…Lets go get ourselves some chow."

Kid wondered, "Should we wear the clothing that Frankie got us yesterday at that weird store?"

Teaspoon smelled his armpit, "I'm good."

Cody looked himself over, "I think we should be fine." He still wore his clothing from the day before. "Not too dirty."

Kid shrugged, "Okay."

Lou pondered, "Actually, I would like to wear that outfit I got yesterday."

Teaspoon agreed, "That's fine and dandy but make it quick. It's a walk to get breakfast and the morning is a wasting."

"Be right back," she hurried back the bedroom to change.

After Lou was out of earshot Cody spoke up, "Anyone else notice that Frankie and Lou kind of look alike?"

Kid rolled his eyes, "Yeah…So?"

He shrugged, "Maybe they're related?"

"How?" he asked.

He shrugged, "Frankie could be her…" he counted on his fingers, "Great, great…"

"No," he shook his head.

**Later**

Lou had changed into a pair of blue jeans, a pink sweater and a pair of white with pink highlighted sneakers that Frankie had introduced her to the day before. She found the modern shoes were rather comfortable, though most of the boys didn't seem too impressed with tennis shoes. Also, since Frankie and Lou wore the same size, Frankie gave Lou and open invitation to her closet.

Jimmy still wanted to wear his gun belt but recalled how he was forced to conceal a pistol in Wal-Mart and thus, applied the same tactic. He wore his same old clothing but hide the pistol in his coat pocket.

Kid didn't like modern clothing at all. He found it wasn't very comfortable and he certainly didn't like the metal zippers on the jeans. He also didn't like the baseball hats that seemed popular either.

Ike and Buck still wore their clothing from the previous day as well but it was an effort to save on laundry work for they figured Frankie would be overwhelmed with all the dirty laundry that must be washed and there didn't seem to be any washtub or scrubbing board about. Perhaps, laundry in the future was still a back breaking chore.

The riders and Teaspoon started down the sidewalk towards the McDonald's. Not a horse to be seen but plenty of vehicles whizzed by on the roads. They noticed the homes all looked much the same in style and shape. They also noticed all the grass lawns about the town. They walked for a while and suddenly came to a large sign that marked the establishment.

Jimmy huffed, "That's not so hard to find. I could have driven us here."

Kid countered, "Don't need that van…We walked here in ten minutes."

"I could drive it," he insisted.

"Hickok," started Teaspoon, "we are not taking the van without Frankie driving it."

"I could drive it," he insisted.

Teaspoon replied, "We are here…Let's eat." He soon found the entrance and opened the large glass door and walked in. The riders all followed him inside.

They stopped and looked the place over. There was large counter with stocked with staff waiting to take orders. Above the counter was a large sign with the menu. The restaurant dining area was stocked with booths and tables.

Teaspoon led the riders up to the counter to speak to a person. He found a young blonde haired girl about seventeen years old before them. She wore lots of makeup and a uniform. Her name tag said "Tammy."

Teaspoon greeted her, "Morning, Tammy."

She smacked her gum and stated the lines, "Welcome to McDonald's. May I take your order?"

"Why yes miss, you may," he smiled. So far everything was going smoothly.

She stood and waited still smacking her gum. Teaspoon looked at the boys and at the large sign above.

"Is that there the menu?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes, "Yes."

"Hmm," he took his time reading it over and asked, "What's an egg McMuffin?"

"It's in the picture," she informed irritated.

"What would you recommend?" he wondered.

She gave a funny look, "Food?"

"What is the house special?" he asked to clarify.

She snorted, "We don't have a house special. What do you want to eat?"

"Breakfast," he informed.

"What do you want for breakfast?" she smirked with an attitude.

Teaspoon paused in thought and looked back at the riders; he asked, "You boys know what you want for breakfast?"

Jimmy stated, "Flapjacks…And bacon."

She gave a look, "We don't have bacon. We have hotcakes and sausage."

"I'll take that," Jimmy agreed, "and some eggs and a biscuit."

"Would you like the big breakfast?" she asked.

"No, a normal size one," he replied.

She closed her eyes for a moment wondering if it was a joke or if the group before her was escapees from a mental home.

"The big breakfast comes with three hotcakes, a sausage patty, eggs, and a biscuit. Is that what you want?" she asked annoyed.

"That's what I want," Jimmy agreed.

"What would you like to drink?" she asked.

"What'cha got?" he asked.

"It's on the menu," she informed pointing up.

Jimmy looked over the selection and huffed, "You have any coffee?"

"Regular or decaf?" she wondered.

Jimmy gave a funny look, "Regular…What's decaf?"

"Decaffeinated," she replied with a worsening attitude.

He held up his hands, "Regular coffee…Just regular."

"Cream and sugar?" she asked.

"Regular!" He huffed, "Just regular, no cream, no sugar…Just regular."

"Fine," she replaced the order. "Next?"

Teaspoon decided it would be better if he simply ordered the same thing for everyone and interrupted.

"We will have six more of the same thing," he informed.

She rang it up, "That will be thirty six dollars and twenty seven cents."

Jimmy asked, "Are you sure? That's a lot of money."

She snapped her gum and gave a cockeyed look, "Yes."

"I got it right here," Teaspoon stated and handed her the forty dollars that Frankie left them.

She took the money and gave him his change and went to work getting trays and seven coffees.

Kid miffed from his place in line, "I told you this place was insane."

"What was she chewing?" asked Lou.

"Don't know," replied Teaspoon, "smells like mint though."

They watched as their meals were quickly assembled before them and with three trays of food and coffee they were promptly pushed away from the counter.

Teaspoon took the tray of hot coffee and instructed the riders to pick up the rest. They then make their way to a large section of tables to sit and eat breakfast.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

**Hospital**

As Frankie sat and chatted with Rachel during her visit Serge walked in to check on his patient.

"Morning," he greeted them.

"Good morning, Dr. Hicks," Rachel smiled.

"Morning, Serge," stated Frankie. "How's the blood work?"

"Very good," he nodded upon going over her chart. He then asked, "How does the leg feel?"

"Pretty good," she replied.

"Mind if I have a look?" he asked.

"Not at all," she agreed.

Serge pulled back the blanket and exposed the lower leg. He carefully peeled back the bandage as Frankie looked on for she too was curious as to how the bite was healing.

"Looks good," stated Serge.

Frankie agreed, "Hey, that's look far better than I thought it would."

Rachel peered down and expected to see a miraculous healing of her leg but instead saw red flesh. It didn't look good at all to her. It was a large open wound as far as she could tell.

"My skin is gone," she gulped.

Serge assured, "That will fill in. I've set you up for a skin graft."

"What's that?" she wondered.

Frankie explained, "We will take you to an operating room and give you some medicine to help you sleep. We will then take a small amount of skin from your good leg and place it over the open wound. We will use a special bandage to help it heal. The skin will fill in as it heals. It will be scared, there's nothing we can do about that, but you didn't lose much internally which is good. You should have full function of your leg."

Serge added, "Which what we want...You to have full function of your leg. You will have a nasty scare but you will be able to walk like normal."

"I guess that's important," agreed Rachel. "It's a miracle I'm even alive much less keep my leg and walk on it."

Serge grinned, "You will be able to run on it when I'm done."

"Thank you," she smiled back.

Serge gently placed the bandage back over the wound. He then looked at Frankie.

"Okay, now…What are you doing with the others that came here?"

Frankie shrugged, "What am I supposed to do with them? They are at my house. I fed them pizza last night, got them clothing and left them so cash to go McDonald's this morning."

"You what?" asked Serge.

"I didn't have food," she explained, "not enough for all of them anyways."

Serge huffed, "You sent a bunch of cowboys from the past to McDonald's?"

"It's McDonald's! What can they do there?" she huffed.

"That's not the point," argued Serge. "What if the government finds them? You said you didn't trust the government with them."

"I don't but how will they find them at McDonald's?" she wondered.

"Does the term 'NSA' mean anything to you?" he asked.

"What?" she shrugged.

"Edward Snowden?" he dropped a name.

"Who?" she asked.

"The dude who exposed the NSA spying on u, NSA is keeping track of every cell phone record, text message, picture sent on the web. If they are behind this…"

"Oh my god," her face went blank. "They will find them."

"Yup," he agreed.

The nurse assigned to Rachel walked into the room; she was a petite woman with dark hair and a tan complexion.

"Serge, Dr. Peterman,' she stated, "You two need to check out the web."

"What?" asked Serge suspiciously.

"It's gone viral," she told them, "your friends…The cowboys…The beat up a gang of punks in the park in Rock Creek that tried to steal a cell phone. There's also a video of them walking through Wal-Mart."

Serge looked at Frankie, "Did you take them to the park and Wal-Mart?"

She rebutted, "No, I told them to wait for me in the park and I had to go Wal-Mart to get them some clothes."

Rachel asked concerned, "Are the boys and Teaspoon in trouble?"

Frankie shook her head, "No…But I might be."

Serge huffed, "I told you not to let them out of your house…Containment!"

"How am I supposed to keep in my house all day?" she asked.

"Rent a bunch of movies and plop them down in front of the TV," he suggested.

"They don't like TV," she huffed back.

**House**

Teaspoon led the riders back to Frankie's house. They chatted on the walk back about their latest experience.

"I don't think I like McDonald's," admitted Lou with some indigestion.

"Me neither," agreed Buck.

Ike thumped his chest trying to burp in agony as the food was setting well with him either.

Cody added, "Not like Rachel's."

Jimmy shrugged, "I've had worse."

Teaspoon added, "I've had better. I can't help but wonder if there is some sort of shortage of flatware and dishes here."

Kid huffed, "Don't know but that knife and fork weren't very good."

Lou added, "Neither was that white tray they served it on."

Jimmy had to agreed, "Actual plates and forks would have been nice. Coffee wasn't bad though."

"That was the only thing that wasn't bad," argued Kid.

They walked up the front steps and into the house. Teaspoon closed the door behind them and placed the key back on the counter. The riders all gathered in the living room and sat down looking for something to do.

Jimmy pondered, "Wonder what that box does?"

Lou informed, "It's called a 'TV.' Frankie has a small one in her room. She showed me how it worked last night. They can get the news and the weather forecast on it."

"How does it work?" wondered Jimmy.

Lou found the remote control and studied it; she found the correct button and pushed it.

"This turns it on," she informed. "Frankie said it has channels on it and you can use these arrow buttons to go up and down to see different things."

Kid looked over her shoulder as she showed them what she had learned.

Lou was looking for the channel that had weather on it when they came across a channel showing a black and white picture.

Teaspoon asked, "What was that?"

She stopped the channel and they sat and watched three men do some ridiculous slap stick comedy. Lou pressed the button to change the channel.

"Go back to other one," stated Kid.

She looked at the boys and asked, "You all wanna watch that silly thing?"

"That was funny," stated Cody. "Go back."

She placed the channel back and saw the title across the screen; she asked, "_The Three Stooges_?" She sat and watched unenthused as the boys and Teaspoon all found the jokes hysterical. "You all think this is funny?" she asked but found she was soon ignored.

She placed the remote down and stood up.

Kid looked up, "Where ya going, Lou?"

"I'm going to bedroom to find out what to expect for the weather," she informed.

"Okay, let us know," Kid replied.

Lou left them to watch their show as she shook her head.

As the boys and Teaspoon amused themselves with the television, Lou found she was soon bored. She had never so bored in all her life. No chores to tend too. No horses to ride. No place to even go for the day. She wished Frankie had taken her to see Rachel for she missed her friend.

She wandered through the house looking for something to keep her occupied. She found Frankie's office. Inside was Teaspoon's cot, a desk with a computer and a row of bookshelves. She went to the private library and started to eye the books figuring something to read would help lift her mood.

She found _Sherlock Holmes _and removed the book from the shelf. She then found something else that caught her eye…Old photo albums. She removed the albums from the shelf and took a seat at the computer desk and started to look at the pictures.

Lou started with the most recent, colored photos of Frankie and her family. She found the pictures were labeled with dates and names.

"Colored pictures," she smiled, "Just like she said." She looked at a photo, "Wow, Frankie and Will…Wow, he kind of looks a bit like, Kid." She continued back to find pictures of them as children and even babies, "Oh, Will is her brother," she figured. "She said Kid reminded her of him."

Lou continued back in the pictures, back to Frankie's parents and further back to grandparents until finally she came across the oldest photo album. The pictures were all in black and white and all taken in the eighteen hundreds. Lou felt most at ease with the last book for she was familiar with the type and style of the subject. She thumbed through the book in reverse and soon came across a picture of herself holding a baby in a long white christening gown. Under the picture was hand written notes.

"Grandmother Louise and Mother," she read aloud and then took in a breath. She looked again at the picture to be sure it was her. It most certainly was her and she was holding a baby that had yet to be born. She closed the book and started to hyperventilate. She didn't know what to do. She just sat and stared at the cover of the album and shook as she realized she was to be a mother someday and a grandmother later.

A sudden reality struck her; she spoke softly, "I'm Frankie's grandmother? No, I can't be that."

She found a piece of paper and a pencil and went back to the books and started to list Frankie, her parents and grandparents and trace the books back to the picture of herself.

She came to a startling conclusion, "I'm her great, great Grandmother." She then sat and wondered, "Who did I marry?"

She peaked under the album page to reveal a wedding photo but she was too afraid to look. She quickly closed the book again.

"What if it's not, Kid? What if I marry someone else?" she wondered. She closed the books and placed them back on the shelf wondering what she should do. Should she look at the wedding photo and reveal her future? She feared it would be a future she did not want to see.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

**Later**

Frankie had returned home with bags upon bags of groceries for the riders and Teaspoon. She opened the door with arms full and found Teaspoon and the boys planted in front of the TV watching _The_ _Three Stooges_. She stood and watched as they laughed at the slap stick.

"It must be a guy thing," she muttered and went to the kitchen where found Lou reading a book. "What'cha reading?" she asked.

"_Sherlock Holmes_," replied Lou who seemed a bit out of touch. Something was on her mind.

"One of my favorites," agreed Frankie.

Lou placed the book down and tried to gather her thoughts. She got up and started to help Frankie put the food away while debating what to say.

"Um," started Lou, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot," she replied.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

Frankie paused in thought, "Tell you what?"

"About the photo album," she hinted.

"What?" Frankie seemed confused, "What are you talking about?"

"I was going through your photo albums looking at the pictures," stated Lou. "I didn't mean to intrude…"

Frankie shrugged, "What about the photo albums? My mother gave them to me and I haven't had the time to even look at them."

Lou replied, "My picture is in one of them."

"Say what?" she asked unsure.

"My picture is in the oldest album," insisted Lou.

"Show me," stated Frankie.

Lou grabbed her hand and led her back to the office. She found the album and placed it on the desk and opened it to the page.

"There," she pointed.

Frankie looked close at the photo and then at Lou; she nodded, "That is you! Holy cow…You're my grandmother's grandmother. That's her writing." She looked at Lou and grinned, "This is so cool."

Lou was far more apprehensive and crossed her arms and expression, "How is this 'cool?'"

"My great, great grandmother dressed like a boy and rode for the Pony Express and met Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill Cody." She pondered, "Now who the hell forgot to put that little gem in the family history?"

Lou pointed out, "I'm holding a baby in the picture."

"That would be my great grandmother and she just hasn't been born yet," replied Frankie finding the connection exciting. "Who is grandpa?" she wondered. She went to turn the page and Lou stopped her.

"I don't know if I want to know that," she stated placing her hand over the page.

Frankie asked, "Why not?"

"What if it's not…" she tailed off.

"Kid?" she wondered.

Lou nodded.

"Then let me just take a peek?" Frankie asked.

"Okay," Lou agreed uneasy.

Frankie lifted the page and spotted the wedding photo. There stood Lou next to Kid and his actual name listed below.

"Oh no," she played a cruel joke. "You married Teaspoon."

"What?" huffed Lou unbelieving. She grabbed the book and feasted her eyes upon the wedding photo. "I don't marry Teaspoon."

"Made ya look," she teased.

Lou slapped her arm, "That was cruel. Where do you get your attitude from?"

Frankie looked at her and made a motion, "Must be hereditary. You know…That passive-aggressive gene we share. I must get the lameness from grandpa."

"Kid is not lame," she huffed.

Frankie rebutted, "Love is blind." She then pondered, "However, in this case it's to my advantage."

Lou suddenly understood, "If I decide not to marry Kid…Then you…"

"Never existed," she nodded.

Lou smirked, "So your life is in my hands."

Frankie disagreed in though, "No, actually this means my life lies in just how lame Kid can be."

Lou shot her a look, "He's not lame."

"I pray he's not," she muttered to herself.

"Should we tell him?" wondered Lou.

"I think it would be best if we just kept this to ourselves," suggested Frankie. "The last thing I need is Kid figuring out he's my grandpa and treating me like a little kid."

"You be nice to him or I will tell him," threatened Lou.

Frankie nodded and accused, "I do get it from you."

**Later**

Lou and Frankie finished putting away the groceries as the boys and Teaspoon continued to absorb every _Three Stooges' _joke known to man.

Lou asked, "How can they watch that stuff all day?"

Frankie shrugged, "Must be a guy thing. My brother loves the _Three Stooges_. He has _Three Stooges _stuff all over his place."

"Tell me about your brother," insisted Lou.

"Will? He's just like…" she motioned towards Kid and then continued, "And he's a deputy sheriff. It really irritates him when I tell him donut jokes."

"Donut jokes?" asked Lou. "Why?"

"It's an urban legend that cops loves donuts," she laughed. "His full name is Clair William James Peterman," she informed. "Yes, he has four names. I often wondered how that became a family heirloom but now I know," she nodded. "My brother has no idea he is named after three guys sitting in my living room."

"Everyone calls him 'Will?'" Lou asked.

Frankie nodded.

"I guess a name really doesn't matter much," she concluded.

Frankie agreed, "True."

Lou asked, "Can you take me with you to see Rachel tomorrow? I really would like to see her."

Frankie agreed, "Sure, she's out of intensive care and is doing very well. Serge has her set up for some surgery tomorrow and then she should be able to be released in a few more days. Then, all we have to do is figure out how to get everyone back home."

Lou asked, "How will we get back home?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. Go storm chasing I guess." She paused in thought, "Boy…Am I gonna miss you guys though."

Lou admitted, "I'm gonna miss you too."

Frankie confessed, "I'm glad I got the chance to meet you."

"Me too," Lou smiled back.

Jimmy came into the kitchen looking for something to eat; he spotted the groceries, "Oh, good…Food."

"I bought lots of food," assured Frankie.

Jimmy found a bag and looked at it, "Potato chips?"

"You should like them," nodded Frankie.

He opened the bag with a pair of sheers and tried one; he nodded, "Not bad…Better than that McDonald's."

"You didn't like McDonald's?" asked Frankie suppressing a giggle for no one really like the place but it seemed to do well.

"Not particularly," he nodded. "I think I like the TV though. Got any other neat TV things around?"

"The internet," she shrugged.

"What's that?" he asked.

"You know what a telegraph is?"

He nodded, "Yup saw on going up in Saint Jo."

"Kind of like that but worldwide," she informed.

"This is gotta see," stated Jimmy. "Where is it?"

Frankie pulled her iphone out of her pocket and pulled up the viral video from the park. She put it on play and handed it to him.

Jimmy watched, "Hey, that's from yesterday at the park."

"Yeah, someone saw it and put it online. The whole world has seen it now," she stated unenthused.

"Really?" he asked impressed. "Am I famous?"

"You were famous before," she reminded. She brought up an entry on Wild Bill Hickok to show him he was famous but did not want to let him read too much.

He looked at the picture and asked, "That's me?"

"Years from now," she assured.

He started reading the article, "Well, this ain't right."

"What isn't?" she asked hoping he would not read his death.

"Says here I drove a stagecoach for the Pony Express…I never drove a stagecoach. Says I was mauled by a bear…I am not that stupid. Says I used all these aliases, William Haycock. Who the hell is that?"

"You never did any of that?" asked Frankie alarmed.

He shook his head, "No! Some guy wrote a dime novel and called me Wild Bill Hickok and the whole town thought it was pretty funny." He started to continue reading, "Wait a minute, I don't wear my pistols in a cummerbund."

Frankie replied, "Maybe you will later? Maybe some of the facts got mixed up…Hard to tell because it was so long ago."

He glanced down to the paragraph about his death, "Dead Man's Hand. I was shot in the back?" He looked up at her and handed the phone back. "I don't think I wanna read anymore."

"Sorry, Jimmy," she gulped.

"Me too," he nodded and walked out of the kitchen. He didn't feel like watching more TV and just wanted to fresh air. He walked out of the house into the back yard and simply sat down on a cement step before the back door.

Frankie came out after him. She took a seat next to him on the step and looked over the yard.

Jimmy asked, "What would happen if I didn't go back?"

"You would change things I suppose," she informed.

"For the better or worse?" he wondered.

"I don't know," she admitted.

He admitted, "I really don't want to go back." 

"What would you do if you stayed here?" she asked.

He pondered for a moment, "I don't know…Stay with you?"

"There is no Pony Express to employ you here," she informed.

"I could get job," he told her.

"Doing what?" she asked.

"I don't know," he admitted.

"You can't stay," she stated. "You're too important…You have to go back."

"I'm not going back," he told her. "I made up my mind. I'm staying with you."

"Wouldn't you rather have your own place to live then?" she wondered.

He shook his head, "No, I mean…I am staying with you."

"Not sure I understand," she confessed.

He grabbed her hand and held it tight, "Where you go then I will go."

She leaned closer to him and placed her head on his shoulder; she closed her eyes for a moment suddenly understanding his intentions.

"Jimmy," she gulped, "You and I are from different worlds. You're an important figure in history…You have to go back."

He gulped, "I'm not going back. History doesn't need me."

"I need you," she confessed.

"Same here," he admitted.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The next morning Frankie had decided to take Lou with her to the hospital to visit Rachel. Prior to leaving she showed Jimmy how to work the riding lawn mower for he asked if he could do some chores around the house to keep busy.

Lou and Frankie walked into Rachel's room to discover her watching the TV.

Surprised Lou asked, "Rachel, what'cha doing?"

Rachel greeted her visitors, "Lou, Frankie…I'm glad to see you."

Lou walked in relived to see her in good spirits; she gave Rachel a hug, "I'm glad to see you too."

Rachel added, "I see Frankie let you out of the house."

Lou exhaled, "I was going crazy stuck in there."

"Can't wait to go home?" asked Rachel.

Lou took a seat next to the bed; she admitted, "There are some things I will miss but generally I do miss home."

"What will you miss?" wondered Rachel.

"Pizza, running water, the refrigerator and electric lights," admitted Lou.

"TV?" asked Rachel.

Lou huffed, "I certainly won't miss that."

Frankie asked, "What are you watching, Rachel?"

She grinned, "Oh…It's called a 'soap opera.' I'm following this one story that comes on about this time. You see Henry is about to find out the young woman he is dating is his illegitimate daughter…"

Frankie made a face, "You're watching soaps?"

She huffed, "Well, anything is better than that silly show with the three men who go around insulting and slapping each other."

"_The Three Stooges_?" asked Lou.

"You saw it?" she asked.

Lou nodded, "The boys all love it."

"Really?" asked Rachel confused. "But that was so stupid."

"It a guy thing," added Frankie in agreement.

"Speaking of the boys," stated Rachel, "you are keeping them occupied while they are here?"

"I showed Jimmy how to mow the lawn this morning," she replied. "I'm hoping they will do yard work for me."

"Here's a hoping," agreed Rachel.

**House**

Jimmy had taken the riding lawn mower out of the garage. Teaspoon and the boys all stood and watched as Jimmy showed them how to operate it.

"See," he stated, "It's easy…A little kid could do it."

Cody asked, "When do we get a turn?"

Jimmy, now dressed in jeans and a tee-shirt, puckered in thought, "After I'm done with it. I promised that I would mow the lawn for Frankie."

Buck asked, "How about we all take turns mowing the lawn?"

Teaspoon agreed, "Jimmy, you mow a few rows and the each of us will get a chance."

"You only need to mow the lawn once, Teaspoon," he rebutted.

"Save some for the rest of us to mow," he suggested.

Jimmy grinned at Kid, "Still think this is impossible?"

Kid shook his head, "Nope anything is possible…Just this insane. This whole place is insane."

"Crazier than me?" grinned Jimmy.

Teaspoon concluded, "Hickok, this place makes you look rather normal."

Cody agreed, "I never thought I would say this…But you're looking pretty normal here, Jimmy."

Kid added, "This place makes Frankie look normal…And she's about as crazy as Jimmy."

Jimmy asked, "How so? Frankie never hurt anyone?"

Kid rebutted, "Maybe she tried to poison us when she sent us to McDonald's?"

Jimmy couldn't get angry for the fast food truly was bad. He sat on the mower laughing to himself.

Kid asked, "What's so funny?"

"You…You ever listen to yourself?" he asked him.

Kid pondered, "What?"

Jimmy asked him, "If we end up staying here, Kid…What will you do for a living?"

Kid never allowed himself to think about that possibility; he couldn't allow it, "We're not staying here…We will find a way home."

"But what if we can't get back?" he asked him. "Gonna go work at McDonald's?"

"If we end up staying I would get a job," he informed.

"Doing what?" asked Jimmy.

"Anything…But that place," Kid huffed.

Jimmy laughed, "Frankie's brother is a deputy…Maybe he can get you a job?"

Kid rebutted, "And what will do if we end up staying, Jimmy?"

He looked at the mower and then pondered, "Didn't Frankie say she paid someone to take care of her lawn even though she owns this thing?"

Teaspoon nodded, "She did."

Jimmy shrugged, "Maybe I could do that?"

Kid asked, "What? Ride a lawnmower around and cut grass?"

"Gotta a better idea?" asked Jimmy.

Kid pondered, "Give me time…I can think of one."

Jimmy placed the mower in gear and nodded, "Yeah, you think about that, Kid." He then started about the chore.

The riders and Teaspoon all sat on the front porch watching Jimmy mow the lawn.

Buck wondered, "What do we all do if we are stuck here?"

Cody retorted, "I don't know but I'm not mowing lawns."

Kid added, "I bet I could be a deputy if need be."

Ike motioned and Buck replied, "Ike thinks we should go to school to learn about this internet thing."

Teaspoon leaned against the front porch post and had to ponder the question, "Boys," he began, "If this is our new home…Then we will have to get training on how to use their technology. I think Ike might be right…We would have to go to a school of some sort."

Kid wondered, "What ya think of Jimmy's idea?"

Teaspoon shrugged, "Everyone has a lawn here, Kid. People would employ others for the service. It's actually not a bad idea….Providing you don't suffer from hay fever."

Ike made another motion.

Buck translated, "Apparently, they have medication for that now too. Frankie gave Ike some medication for his hay fever."

Teaspoon looked at Ike, "That's right…Flowers make you sneeze and you're not sneezing anymore."

Ike shook his head.

"What she give ya?" wondered Teaspoon.

Ike dug the bottle from his pocket and showed it to him.

Teaspoon read the label, "_Clariton_. For seasonal allergies. Take one pill a day." He looked at him, "This stuff works?"

Ike nodded.

"One little pill?" asked Teaspoon.

Ike nodded and made another motion.

Buck stated, "I guess you might have a point there, Ike. If we go home then what can we take back with us? Ike wants to take back some of them pills."

Cody pondered, "If I could take one thing back…TV."

Kid rolled his eyes, "I would take back something else."

"Like what?" asked Cody.

"That refrigerator," he had to admit.

Teaspoon added, "If there was just one thing I could take back I know what it would be."

"What's that?" asked Kid.

"Toilet paper," he nodded.

They looked at one another and started to nod.

"Yup," agreed Buck, "That would be the top of the list."

Kid had to agree, "That would be one thing for sure."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

**A Week Later**

Rachel had been released from the hospital into Frankie's care. She had to use a cane but was well on her way to a full recovery. The lawnmower was a hit for the boys found it to be easy to operate and fun to ride around on. Needless to say, Frankie's lawn had never been mowed so many time in one week before and they went through a whole can of gas.

Frankie had taken the last week off to help the riders and Teaspoon adjust. She never thought they would return and now this would be their new home. Her plan was to get them independent of her and on their own.

Early that morning two black SUV's pulled into the driveway. Four men emerged from the black government owned vehicles. The two men went to the door and rang the bell.

Frankie answered the door still wearing her robe and nightgown. She looked up two men, one black and one white standing before her in black suits. They reminded her of a movie she recently watched.

"Let me guess…Men in Black? Agent K and Agent J? Right?"

The two exchanged glances.

The white man spoke up, "Doctor Peterman, were are with the department of defense."

"Oh! Not MIB?" she sarcastically replied.

The black man replied, "Dr. Peterman were are aware that you are housing…Special guest…That really should return home."

"Fuck off," she slammed the door in their faces.

The door bell rang again and she opened it once more.

"What?" she huffed.

The white agent replied, "They need to go back."

Frankie crossed her arms, "Okay, Agent K…Are you guys fucking with the weather?"

The man replied, "I'm not at liberty to reveal that information."

"How do you propose they go home?" she asked.

The black man assured, "We are here to send them back home…Where they belong."

The white man added, "If needed, we can and will, use force."

She huffed, "How can I be sure you are sending them home and not taking them to some secret prison?"

The black man offered, "You can witness it if you wish. We also need a debriefing from you as well, Dr. Peterman."

Teaspoon came up behind her; he gathered there was something happening, "What's going on, Frankie?"

"Well," she smirked, "This is Agent K and Agent J of Men in Black and they are here to send you guys home."

Teaspoon greeted them, "Agent Kay and Agent Jay?"

"Come with us, sir," the white man spoke.

Frankie spouted, "Agent K," she pondered, "You know in that last movie the actor who played you looks a lot like Jimmy. Anyways, how can I be sure no harm will come to any of them?"

The black man huffed, "What are gonna do with them? They are a bunch of cowboys from the past that have been all over the internet. Jeepers, woman…You are a pain in the ass."

She smirked, "Will Smith does a good imitation of you, Agent J!"

The white agent demanded, "Just get in the truck!"

Teaspoon asked, "Can you send us back home?"

"That is what we are here to do," he replied.

"Can me and the boys bring a few things with us?" asked Teaspoon who was ready to go home.

"What?" asked the white man.

"Toilet paper," he stated, "you no idea what you have there."

The two men shrugged, "Fine, get your things. You have five minutes." They then walked back to their cars and check their watches.

Frankie had sudden realization, "You guys are going home."

"I believe we are," agreed Teaspoon.

**Moments Later**

Jimmy was not fond of the idea of returning for he had already decided to stay but with armed men demanding they go back he was suddenly forced to reconsider.

"I'm not leaving," he stated.

Rachel argued, "Jimmy, we have to go home. If they can send us home we have to take it."

"I'm staying," he argued.

Frankie walked up to him and grabbed his hand, she looked into his eyes pleading,"You have to go back. As much as I want you to stay, you can't. You are Wild Bill Hickok like it or not. You need to go back."

He shook his head, "I'm not needed. Hell, history will be better off without me."

"That's not true," she argued. "You are needed. You belong back there."

"I belong here," he insisted. "If I go back…I won't ever see you again."

"You will see me everything you look at Lou," she informed.

Jimmy asked, "How do you figure that?"

She whispered in his ear, "She's my great, great grandmother. You help keep her safe."

Jimmy wondered, "Who is the man…"

She whispered, "Kid."

"You're related to Kid?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Pity," he miffed.

"You have to go back for me," she replied. "I know you have a huge influence on my family. My brother is named after you and Billy. You have to go back for me."

He sucked back a tear as a pit formed in his stomach; he touched her check, "You are the only reason I'm going back."

**Later**

Teaspoon, Rachel and the riders all gathered up what small souvenirs they were allowed to take back. The government figure it wouldn't hurt for they were going far enough back nothing they could bring with them could greatly affect the present.

Lou brought her sneakers and Kid kept the ball cap he really wasn't very fond off as a memento. Teaspoon decided to bring a ceramic coffee mug that Frankie let him use during his time at her place. Everyone brought back something small as a keepsake except for Jimmy.

Jimmy left everything behind for he didn't want anything to remind him of Frankie. He wanted to erase the hurt from his heart and figured the only way he could forget was to leave it all behind.

They got in the black SUV's were drive to a remote area, just outside of Rock creek.

Frankie, now wearing jeans, sneakers and a sweater, recognized it and mentioned, "This is where I was camping when that freaky storm hit."

The white agent stated, "This is where we will send your friends back."

"It is a weather experiment…Isn't it?" she asked.

He admitted, "You were caught up in the experiment by accident. Nobody ever rides the old Express trail out here. Expect you…We tried to retrieve you but got everyone with you as well."

She miffed, "Next time you guys fuck with weather and accidentally send me back in time…Just leave me there. You're fucking with things you shouldn't be."

The black man stated, "Do you ever just shut up?"

"No," she shook her head.

They disembarked from the vehicles and the agents instructed them to stand in the spot.

The white agent instructed, "Okay, you people from the past just need to stand in this camp site here and we will activate the mechanism to send you home. You should come back at the exact moment you left…So, it will be like this never happened."

The black agent added, "And don't bother telling anyone…Because they probably won't believe you anyways."

Teaspoon agreed, "I figured as much, Agent Jay."

The black agent looked at his partner, "That little white chick is a pain in the ass."

His partner showed some humor, "That she is…Agent J."

"Very funny," he huffed.

Frankie asked, "So, what are your names? You never did show me an ID."

At that point in time neither man was in a mood to actually show their ID's and simply shrugged it off.

The white man stated, "Agents K and J."

"Asshole," she called him.

The black man added, "And that can be your name...Agent Asshole."

"Fuck you," she sneered crossed.

"Okay," the white agent instructed, "You all just stand right here." He looked at Frankie, "Dr. Peterman, you need to stand back or you will suck back with them."

"Fine," she huffed and took a few steps back.

"Further," he instructed.

Frankie huffed, "Fine!" Then she steeped further away. Her eyes landed on Jimmy's distraught face. She felt horrible for sending back when he didn't wish to go and she would miss him deeply. Her eyes looked over each rider's face. They looked upon her as if saying goodbye.

Lou waved to her, "Take care."

"You too," she gulped back.

"I will," she assured.

The white agent spoke into a radio, "Okay, engage the engine."

Soon the wind picked up and the weather started to go wild above the camp site. The lightening started and air turned electric.

Frankie's heart started to race, she shot a look to the agents in black and then to her friends who she would never see again. In that moment she made a decision. She would go back and leave everything she had then spend her life without them.

She muttered, "Fuck it," and then took off running towards the site. She ran right into the storm that was now raging around the riders. She landed in Jimmy's arms as they were forced to crouch down by the flying debris.

The storm left and took everyone in its eye with it. Dr. Peterman was now gone as well.

The agents looked at one another.

"Should we get her?" asked the black man.

The white man shook his head, "Only if she really screws things up…If she wants to go back…Let her. Not our problem."

"Good," he agreed.

**1860**

The storm left as soon as it came and Frankie found herself in Jimmy's arms. They looked about and found the men in black suits and the government cars were all gone.

Rachel looked at her, "Frankie, what did you do?"

"I came back with you," she explained.

"But you have a life in the future," rebutted Rachel. "You have house, you are a doctor and have all that neat stuff. You just gave all that up!"

She nodded, "I know…But I would have given up even more if I didn't come back."

Jimmy grinned, "You came with us?"

She nodded, "I did."

"Gave it all up?" he asked to be sure.

She nodded, "I did."

"You are crazy," he told her and held her tight.

"So are you," she assured.

Teaspoon looked about, "It's good to be home," he agreed. "And it looks like Rock Creek still has a new doctor."

"I guess I still have a job then," she agreed.

Rachel nodded, "You do."

Cody asked, "So, we are back at the same moment we left?"

"That's what they told us," assured Teaspoon.

Lou walked up to Frankie with her hands over her mouth as she looked upon her. She sucked in a deep breath and then wrapped her arms around her future great, great granddaughter.

"I could never be more proud of you," she insisted.

Kid gave a funny look, "What'cha mean?"

Frankie grinned, "Lou and I went through my genealogy and found out I'm a direct decadence of hers. Her future daughter is my great grandmother."

Kid wondered, "Who is your great, great grandfather then?"

Frankie shrugged, "Some dude with this really funny name that I never heard of." She shot a grin to Jimmy in secret.

Kid started to ponder. Was Jimmy her future great, great grandfather? How could that be?

Jimmy draped his arm over Frankie's shoulder and mentioned, "Long walk to town."

"It's easier on a bike," she reminded.

"We don't have a bike," he rebutted.

"I'm sure we can walk it," assured Rachel as she started to hobble on her cane.

Frankie let go of Jimmy and then went to Rachel and placed her body to act as a crutch; she instructed, "Here, let me help you take the weight off your leg. It's still healing."

"Thank you, Frankie," she smiled. "I think Rock Creek needs you as much as you need Rock Creek."

As the started back towards town Cody mentioned to Kid, "I told ya they looked a lot alike. Wonder who granddad is?"

Kid shot him a look.

Cody figured it was Kid but decided to tease his friend; he leaned close and whispered, "What if it's Teaspoon?"

"No," snapped Kid.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

**A week later**

Rachel's leg had now healed the where she could walk with no assistance. The wound was healing nicely and though a horrible scare would be apparent she was pleased with her recovery.

The riders, Teaspoon, Rachel and Frankie all agreed to keep the previous week to themselves and no one was the wiser. They returned exactly to when they left.

Frankie moved back into the house with Rachel and now had to start her life from scratch. She was a doctor but she had no degree, no references, and no internship; nothing to back her claim except for those who had spent the week in her world.

Jimmy couldn't believe she had given it all up. She walked away from her career, her home, her friends and family just to be with him and the others. She gave up all the conveniences of the modern world for a much harder life in the past. He and the others all were very much aware what she had left behind just to be with them and to live in a much harder reality and were grateful.

Frankie had also given up the rights she was accustomed too. The right to vote, the right to be seen as an equal to male counterparts and found she was now in a totally different class of citizenry. Not a second class but not an equal class either.

Teaspoon realized what she had sacrificed in order to remain with them and be their doctor in the process. He welcomed her as a doctor though many in town didn't believe a woman would make as good of a doctor as a man.

Rachel found the whispers about Frankie not being able to doctor because she was a woman most disturbing. She found it nearly enraging for Frankie had saved her life and had done so much for others in the town already.

Rachel and Jimmy had gone into town on the buckboard to pick up supplies and some equipment that Mr. Thompson had ordered for Frankie. The pair chatted as they made their way through town towards the store.

"You think they would ever believe us?" asked Rachel.

Jimmy drove the buckboard and shook his head, "Nope."

"I'm glad you came back," she told him.

"I'm not," he admitted.

"But Frankie came back too," she reminded. "She gave up a lot for you."

"I know she did and for that I could never repay her," he agreed. "But I didn't get to see everything that I wanted to see."

"What did you want to see?" she wondered.

"I wanted to go on an airplane ride," he admitted. "I wanted to go to this place…Called 'Six Flags' and see go on this thing called a 'Ferris wheel.' I also wanted to drive something called 'bumper cars' there as well. "

Rachel admitted, "I wished I could have taken an airplane ride too." She grinned, "Can you believe it? They went to the moon before Frankie was even born."

Jimmy nodded, "Kind of silly to go there."

"It was monumental moment," she informed. She shook her head, "I know about all these neat inventions that haven't even happened yet. And after a week of just flipping on and off lights…Oil lamps are gonna take some getting used to again."

Jimmy agreed, "And life with no running water. That shower was much nicer than our little set up."

"And no outhouses or chamber pots," agreed Rachel with a sigh.

Jimmy laughed, "Gonna miss that refrigerator with the ice and water in the door."

"And the ice cream," agreed Rachel. She sighed in thought, "Actually, it's good thing we did come back when we did."

"How so?" he asked.

"With all that food and little to do, we were all gonna get very fat if we stayed there," she admitted. "I think my dress is a bit tight."

Jimmy admitted, "I had to loosen my belt a notch." He pondered, "Teaspoon would have gotten fatter if we stayed. He was liking them there cookies a bit too much."

Rachel admitted, "I was them there cookies a bit too much."

Jimmy admitted, "One thing I missed from here though."

"What's that?" she asked.

"Your flapjacks and molasses," he informed. "They don't use molasses on hardly anything there."

Rachel patted his knee, "I'm glad you and the boys all like my flapjacks with molasses…Frankie didn't," she shook her head."

"She's too used that 'Cheerios' stuff," informed Jimmy.

"She grew up on that new cold cereal the same way you grew up on flapjacks with molasses," countered Rachel.

"You ever try them 'Cheerios'?" he asked.

"When I was in the hospital," she nodded. "I also tried a cold cereal called 'Fruit Loops.'"

"How did that taste?" he wondered.

"Nothing like fruit," she laughed.

They pulled along the side of the general store and Jimmy secured the horses as Rachel walked inside. She still had a slight limp but otherwise was fine.

Mr. Thompson looked upon her in shock; he gasped, "Mrs. Dunne…I thought for sure a rattler got you last night."

She gulped and replied, "I was bitten by a snake last night but it wasn't bad and Frankie helped me."

"Well, I'll be," he puffed his cheeks. "I heard it was bad."

"I'm fine," she assured unable to go into the details of how she spent the previous week in a hospital. "I've come for some supplies."

He hobbled out from behind the counter still nursing his toe; he stated, "Well, let's see what you need."

"Just a small list," she assured.

Jimmy had wandered into the store and instead of going to the revolvers as usual he went to the case with jewelry. As Mr. Thompson tended to Rachel's list she went over to Jimmy and noticed he was gazing over the fine jewelry in the case.

"What'cha looking for, Jimmy?" she asked.

"Nothing much," he shrugged. "I thought I would get Frankie something," he then tried to downplay his emotions, "You know…As a thank you for everything she did."

Rachel replied, "Well, then you might want to look at something a little less of a commitment. These are engagement rings."

"Um," his lip curled, "might be a bit soon for that?"

She nodded, "I think so."

"What would you suggest?"

"How about a nice necklace?" she asked.

"I don't recall Frankie wearing necklaces," he replied.

"Bracelet?" she asked.

"She used to wear that there watch on her wrist when we were at her house," he admitted. "She might like that," he agreed.

Mr. Thompson had retrieved the items on Rachel's list and looked upon the pair gazing the jewelry. He walked over to the case.

"You see anything you like, Mrs. Dunne?" he assumed Rachel was looking for herself.

She smiled, "Actually, Jimmy is looking at getting something for Dr. Peterman."

He could help but wonder, "Dr. Peterman?"

Rachel replied, "Yes, as a thank you." She deliberately left out the crucial information. "We were thinking of a nice bracelet."

"What would you like to look at?" he was eager to make a sale.

Jimmy pointed, "That one."

"Excellent choice," he smiled brightly anticipating a good day.

**Modern Time, Saint Mary's**

It had been a week since Frankie went missing. She left her house and never returned. Her car was left in the driveway, her fridge was full of food and the mail piled up in the box.

Serge grew concerned when he got no reply from her phone and called her brother to help find out what had happened to her. The two men agreed to meet in Frankie's driveway.

Serge, dressed in green surplus military BDU's, waited near his car for Will to arrive. A county deputy K-9 unit pulled in the drive. Frankie's brother, Will Peterman disembarked from behind the wheel. He wore a black uniform, sunglasses and a visor cap. He walked up to Serge.

"Dr. Bryon Hicks?" he asked.

"'Serge,'" he nodded and shook the man's hand. "You're Frankie's brother, Will?"

He nodded, "I am. So, when was the last time you saw my sister?"

"About a week ago," he informed.

He sighed, "Any idea where she could have gone?"

"I might have an idea," he replied. "She had some company in the house but everyone is gone. It's weird; it's like everyone just up and left."

"You have access to her house?" he wondered.

Serge replied, "She gave me a spare key."

"Let's check it out," he stated hoping nothing serious had occurred. He went to the back of the truck and opened the door, "Come on, Katie…We got work to do."

A German Sheppard jumped out of the truck and started sniffing the area.

"K-9?" asked Serge.

"If someone took my sister, I'm gonna find him," insisted Will.

Serge nonchalantly asked, "Has the government contacted you at all?"

He shook his head, "No…Why?"

"She stumbled across something, Will. Some sort of experiment," he informed.

"You think the government has something to do with her disappearance?" he asked.

Serge shrugged, "I wouldn't put it past them." He then led Will and the dog into the home.

Will started to take notice, "It does appear she left in a hurry." He went to the fridge, "Man, what's with all the food?" He then looked about, "How many people did she have living here? Who were these guys?"

Serge suggested, "I think you better sit down for this."

**1860, Rock Creek**

The riders adjusted to their way of life with relative ease. They picked up their runs right where they left off. Even though they spent a week in the future and had access to the most modern conveniences they were much more at ease at home.

Kid was raging with emotions. He loved Lou but with the revelation that Frankie was her direct decedent, and since they failed to inform him of who Lou would eventually marry, he began to think it simply wasn't him. He was now willing to let Lou go in order to ensure the welfare of Frankie and her family. Little did he know that very intention of preserving Frankie's life could also cost the very life he was trying to protect.

Teaspoon returned to his duties as Marshal and all seemed to be going well, though he could use a full-time deputy, he had the riders at his disposal at any given time. Teaspoon sat on the rocking chair perched on the front porch of the Marshal's office and sipped his coffee and watched the daily life of the residents of the sleepy town go by.

He placed his coffee down on a wooden barrel he used as a small table and picked up the local newspaper. He opened it and began to read. Soon he became alarmed by the very people of the town as they seemed to be very excited about something. He peeked over the top of the paper and noticed the town's people seemed rather occupied as they stared off to the west and pointed. He looked in the general direction and noticed what appeared to be lights in the distance. Teaspoon placed the paper down on the chair and walked over to the edge of the porch and squinted hard on the horizon.

He suddenly realized what he was seeing and he gasped in astonishment. It couldn't be but there it was, a vehicle from the future was traveling right towards the town.

He assumed, "They've come for Frankie."

There was no time to call for anyone, no time to warn her, all he could do was try and play it cool and not let them know he was onto them. He also figured the town's people would panic and that he could play to his advantage. The old man started to strategize an escape from the mysterious government agents that surely came for her. However, as the vehicle got closer he noticed it was white instead of black. It also had marking on the side of the vehicle.

"Sherriff, K-9?" he asked aloud, "hmm?"

Inside the truck Will and Serge sat after just driving straight through a bizarre storm as they went to look for Frankie. They decided to follow the old trail figuring they might have gone out to try and find a way home. Little did they understand what just happened to neither them nor they, themselves were now caught up in another government boondoggle of epic portions.

"This can't be Rock Creek," stated Will.

Serge huffed, "I told you not to drive into that funky storm…It's a government weather experiment."

He insisted, "This is not Rock Creek. This is some…What the hell is this?"

"I'm afraid to find out," stated Serge. "Just turn the truck around, find the damn storm again and go back through it."

Will wondered, "Why is everyone dressed like that?"

"Didn't you listen?" scolded Serge. "I told you, Frankie went back through time when she stumbled across the government weather experiment."

"You mean…That wasn't some sick joke?" he asked.

Serge pointed, "You and I…Need to work on our communications."

Teaspoon held up his hands to the town's people who all seemed to be gathering towards the truck. It was like nothing they had ever seen before and some wondered if it was an act of god or worse.

"Back off folks," Teaspoon instructed, "I'll handle this." He went up to the driver's side window and tapped the glass.

Will lowered the window and looked up at the Marshal and grinned nervously, "Hi."

Serge recognized Teaspoon and shouted from his seat, "Teaspoon!"

Teaspoon looked inside at the man; he cocked his head in thought, "Aren't you that doctor who took care of Rachel?"

"I am," he nodded. "We just drove that freaky storm." He then asked, "Is Frankie here by any chance?"

Teaspoon asked, "Is the Men in Black wanting her home?"

"The what?" asked Serge.

Teaspoon clarified, "The men in the black suits who sent us back. They send you after her?"

Serge huffed, "I don't know anything about any men in black suits. This is Will, Frankie's brother. We went looking for her because she disappeared and no one has seen here. Then we drove into that funky weird storm and this should be Rock Creek but it's something else."

"This here is Rock Creek," assured Teaspoon. "Those men didn't send ya?"

"No," Serge shook his head. "Do you know what happened to Frankie and where the hell are we?"

Teaspoon replied, "Frankie is at the house…And you're in eighteen sixty." He looked at the man behind the wheel, "You're her brother?"

He nodded, "I am…Where am I again?"

"That storm you drove through son is the result of an experiment done by your government," stated Teaspoon. "They sent us back through it…And Frankie came on her own accord."

Serge huffed, "She did what? That crazy white woman!"

Teaspoon stated, "Seems to me that storm only comes once in a while…And until it does you two boys are kind of stuck here. Take you vehicle around the town and over to the way station. We can store it there out of sight. Folks around here will be mighty curious about this here vehicle."

Serge huffed, "You mean were stuck here until another storm comes?"

"I'm afraid so," nodded Teaspoon. "Now, try not to spook anything or anyone."

Will asked, "Is this for real?"

Teaspoon nodded, "I'm afraid so."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

As Mr. Thompson helped load the buckboard of supplies he looked up and spotted a white vehicle slowly move by the back of his store. He rubbed his eyes and blinked for perhaps he was hallucinating for he had no idea what he had seen.

Rachel and Jimmy also spotted the police car slowly go by at the same time. She looked very concerned to Jimmy.

"They have come for Frankie," she assumed.

Jimmy was about to grab the buckboard and drive the horses hard to get to the house before the police car.

"We have to warn her," he insisted as he went for the driver's seat.

Rachel informed, "We can't get the buckboard there before that car. You have to run for it, Jimmy and I will finish up here. Quickly before anyone sees you."

He gave a nod and agreed, "I'll warn her." He then took off running the quickest way he could, taking every shortcut he could find in an effort to beat the police car to the house.

**Meanwhile**

Needless to say the police car was quite the eye catcher for the town and Teaspoon now needed to make a cover for the vehicle. He certainly couldn't tell the truth nor about would his trip to the future, for no one believe him. Even though he experienced it firsthand even Teaspoon had a hard time believing what had happened.

Teaspoon tried to disburse the crowd, "Now, now…It's perfectly explainable."

The locals all gathered around Teaspoon to look for what to do about the strange white carriage that slowly went along the side of the town with no horses pulling it.

The local pastor, a tall man wearing a black suit and sporting a mustache asked, "What is that devilish thing roaming down the back streets, Marshal?"

Teaspoon held up his hand, "Now Father Manning, it's an experiment that…Um…The sheriffs are experimenting with."

Another local, a young girl asked, "What does it do?"

"It's a boxcar…Kind of…," he tailed off not knowing how to even explain the concept though he spent a week riding around in such a thing.

"It has no horses pulling it," the Father noted.

Teaspoon looked for an excuse, "It's a steam engine…A very small steam engine and it's self-propelled," he informed. "It's a boxcar with a small steam engine that the sheriffs are trying to…Experiment with…"

"Is it dangerous?" another man asked.

Teaspoon assured, "It's harmless and will not be moving about…It's out of…Steam," he found himself reaching for any explanation to calm the people of the town.

"I never seen no steam engine like that," one man started.

"Now, now," Teaspoon tried to control the crowd. "There is nothing to worry about. It's the sheriff's boxcar and it won't be bothering anyone…Now just back about your business."

The towns' people remain unsure.

Teaspoon became more forceful, "I said there is nothing to worry about. I have it under control. Now move along folks." The crowd dispensed and Teaspoon started towards the general store to see if Rachel and Jimmy had arrived.

**Meanwhile**

Jimmy made it to the house just before Will's truck. He spotted it getting closer and he ran into the house hollering for Frankie.

"Frankie!" he yelled out.

She was in her room trying on clothing when she emerged upon hearing Jimmy's voice. She was now dressed in a man's blue shirt and brown trousers for she was going to help with some chores in the barn with the riders.

She stood at top of the stairs, "What is it, Jimmy?"

"They're coming for ya," he told her.

"Who?" she wondered.

"The men," he assumed. "They sent a sheriff. It's coming right here."

"A sheriff?" she asked.

Jimmy hollered, "Get your things! I'll get us a horse and my gun. We'll out ride it."

She peered out the window and saw a K-9 unit; she made a face, "No way!"

"Hurry," he hollered and went to the get his things for a quick getaway.

Frankie went down the stairs and made her way to the front door. She stood on the porch and waited for the truck to pull up to her. It did so and stopped. She waved unenthused.

The truck doors opened and Serge and her brother emerged. They looked about the area and then at Frankie standing alive and well on the porch.

Will stepped out in front of the truck and looked about; he removed his sunglasses and then looked at his sister who didn't seem very happy to see him.

"Frankie?" he asked.

"Will," she stated arms crossed. "What are you doing here? Did they send you after me?"

"No one sent me after you," he informed. "Serge was helping me try to find out what happened to you. You have been missing for a week."

"Didn't they tell you?" she wondered.

"No one told us anything," he huffed. "Am I really in eighteen-sixty?"

She nodded.

Serge stated shaking his head, "I told you not to drive into that storm."

"Hey Serge," she grinned. "How are you?"

"Been better," he admitted. "You know how this thing works so we can go home…Right?"

She shook her head, "The M.I.B. didn't tell me that."

"'M.I.B?'" asked Will.

"Men in Black," she replied. "It was freaky…Just like the movie. These two guys dressed in black suits came to my house, gathered up everyone that accidentally came with me and they drove us out to the camp site where it all began and called up that freaky storm. I was told to stay back but I ran into it anyways."

Will suspiciously asked, "Why?"

She became meek, "Well, I met this guy named 'Jimmy.'"

"Jimmy?" he asked, arms crossed.

She nodded and smirked at him.

Serge asked, "Let me get this straight…You voluntarily went back to this hell hole for some dude?"

She winced, "Yeah."

"What the hell were thinking woman?" he asked.

"Love is blind," she conceded.

Jimmy came around the corner with all the riders right behind them. They heard there was a vehicle coming and all assumed it was there to retrieve Frankie.

Jimmy pulled his pistol and leveled it on Will.

"There ain't no way she going with you," he told him.

Will held up his hands and tried to talk sense, "Take it easy, Mister."

"Jimmy…That's Will…My brother," she informed. "Put the gun down."

"You're her brother?" Jimmy asked him.

Will nodded and went to his negotiator training, "Yes…Now…'Jimmy' is it? Put the gun down. Okay! There is no need for this."

Frankie added, "It's okay guys. They didn't send Will to get me. He was investigating me as a missing person and drove into the funky storm."

Jimmy holstered his weapon and looked at the man. He then looked at Kid and then at Frankie.

"You're right…He does look like him," he mentioned.

"Ah-ha," she nodded.

Serge gasped, "Wait a minute…You're James Butler Hickok."

Jimmy asked annoyed, "Who are you?"

"Jimmy," Frankie interrupted. "That's Serge…The man who saved Rachel's life in the hospital."

"Oh," Jimmy smiled at him, "You're Serge!"

Serge nodded, "You're Wild Bill Hickok."

Frankie mentioned, "He really doesn't like that name."

Will held up his hands, "Whoa, whoa, whoa…What the hell, Frankie? Wild Bill Hickok is 'Jimmy?'"

"And was about to shoot you dead," she nodded.

"This is insane," her brother mentioned.

"Tell me about it," miffed Kid from the side as he watched on.

Cody even noticed the resemblance, "Boy Kid, Frankie's brother does look like you."

"Doesn't mean anything," Kid replied.

Will looked about, "I spoke to the Marshal in town. He said he can help store my unit until we can find that storm again."

"Behind the barn," suggested Frankie.

"I guess that will have to do," he agreed. He then went to the truck and opened the back door for the dog. "Come Katie."

The police dog hopped out of the truck and sat on the ground before him waiting for instructions.

Kid noticed, "You're dog's name is Katie?"

Will glanced over and nodded, "She's my partner," he explained.

Frankie miffed, "She his baby."

"My horse is named Katie," Kid mentioned.

Will decided to make the acquaintances and greeted the man, "I'm Deputy Will Peterman. This is my partner, Katie."

"Nice to meet ya," Kid replied and shook his hand.

Lou had slipped off to the side and whispered to Frankie, "Your brother looks fantastic in a uniform."

Frankie whispered back, "Don't get too excited…He's your forth great grandson…Remember?"

Lou whispered back, "Your brother is a handsome man."

"You're freaking me out," she whispered back to Lou.

Lou melted, "His dog is named Katie."

"That dog is police dog that can scare the shit out of people," she countered. "She's highly trained."

Will and Kid both looked over at Lou and Frankie whispering as if they were cahoots of some sort.

Kid asked, "Anything wrong?"

Both women shook their heads innocently.

Kid went to pet the dog and Will warned him.

"Careful, she won't let you pet her," stated Will.

The dog sniffed Kid's hand and went right to him as if she was used to his scent.

"I guess she likes me," grinned Kid.

"That's odd," admitted Will, "Usually she won't do that."

Frankie muttered, "That stupid dog would bite me if I tried to pet her. Look at her, she loves Kid."

Lou suggested, "Maybe because they're related?"

"I'm related to Will and she hates me," she spouted back, "Fucking dog."

Will looked over at his sister and smirked, "See, Katie simply just hates you."

Kid rubbed her behind her ears, "Oh, she a good dog…She gorgeous too."

Will dug out a dog treat from his pocket and handed it to him, "Here, she will love even more."

Kid took and treat and fed it too the dog whom he was beginning to like. Kid's nature of caring for animal shined through as he got to know the dog.

Frankie sneered under her breath, "Fucking dog."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Rachel and Teaspoon had returned to the way station to help provide cover for Will, Serge and the police car. They placed the vehicle in a small barn and covered it with a canvass tarp. Teaspoon then asked the riders to gather up some old clothes for the two men would need to fit into the town until they could find the elusive storm that seemed to act as a doorway between worlds.

Serge found himself wearing brown trousers and a white shirt with a pair of suspenders. The man would rather of worn his surplus BDU's and carried a machine gun into battle than be in his current situation.

Will was given something similar to wear; a set of tan trousers and a red shirt, sported with a pair of suspenders. Both men stood before the bunkhouse amazed at how silly they looked in the old Victorian ear clothing.

Serge complained, "These pants are riding my ass too high."

"Yeah, they seem a bit higher around the waist," agreed Will. "Not sure I like the suspenders either."

Serge huffed, "I don't mind a suspender rig, as long as it's fully stocked."

Will nodded with a chuckle, "I think that might catch more eyes than us driving through town in K-9 unit."

He joked, "You mean my big black ass, Rambo fatigues, red bandana, two machine guns and grenades handing off me like Christmas tree ornaments?"

Will asked, "Did you ever dress like that in the Marines?"

He shook his head, "Hell no! Marines don't dress like sissies"

The riders all gathered around the pair and looked upon the transformation. They nodded in approval.

Jimmy added, "Well…You two at least can blend in now." Jimmy then offered one of his older hats to Serge, "Here, Serge…You'll need this."

Serge looked upon the hat and the man presenting it to him. His eyes began to tear as it turned out Serge was a great fan of the legends of the Old West.

"Thank you, Mr. Hickok," he took the hat as if it were a prize.

Frankie stood and watched and spotted the reaction, she gave a funny look.

Jimmy gave a nod, "That's a thank you for saving Rachel in the hospital, Doc…Serge."

"I will treasure this forever," he informed.

Frankie's face contorted and she asked, "Serge…What?"

Excited he explained, "This is Wild Bill Hickok's hat."

"He prefers the name 'Jimmy' and you are acting like a fan-boy," she scolded.

"He's a legend," rebutted Serge.

She yelled at him, "You are a Marine…Act like one!"

Jimmy chuckled to himself and then asked Serge, "So, you really are a Marine?"

Serge rolled up his sleeve and displayed the tattoo, "Yes sir."

Jimmy wondered, "Think maybe you could show me some of that there Marine stuff later? Like some hand-to-hand combat? Never know when you might need something like that."

"My pleasure," he nodded eagerly.

Will added, "I'm a cop and if you want to learn some basics…"

"Later," stated Jimmy who was far more impressed with the Marines than with sheriffs.

Lou held a hat for Will; she walked up to him and smiled pleasantly, "Here, this is for you," she handed him the old hat.

He took it graciously, "Thank you," and then inspected it before seeing if it fit. It fit well as he placed it on his head.

She gazed up at him in approval, "You look very handsome in that," she informed.

"Um," Will wasn't sure what to say, "Thanks."

"Welcome," she smiled.

"Will," stated Frankie, "take a good look at her…Who does she remind you of?"

Will looked at the smallest rider and replied, "She looks like Gram when she was young. Remember those old pictures? Or did you not bother to even look them?" he wondered knowing his sister all too well. He then looked on and suddenly realized he saw her picture before, "You're Grandmother Louise."

"Saw my picture in the album, huh?" she asked.

"Oh yeah," he perked right up, "You're the grandmother that dressed up like a boy and snuck into the Pony Express and met Cody and Hickok."

Frankie waved her armed, "Whoa, whoa, whoa…How did you know about that?"

"Everyone in the family knows," he huffed. "It's a family legend."

"How come I didn't know?" she huffed.

He scolded, "Well maybe if you would bother to show up at a family reunion once in a while you would know….Jane."

She crossed her arms and huffed, "Do not call me that!"

"Jane?" asked Jimmy. "I'm confused….Your name is 'Frankie.'"

Her brother cited with a gleam in his eyes, "Oh, no…Her first name is Jane but she hates it. Francine is her middle name and she hates that too. 'Frankie' is her nickname…Dad wanted another boy…He got her instead."

Jimmy asked Frankie, "Jane?"

"I hate that name," she huffed with a pout.

Serge laughed, "Is that why you sign 'J. F. Peterman?'"

"Shut up," she miffed.

Oh how the tables have been turned on Frankie as her brother turned out not to be as lame as she had hoped. She dreaded this moment for he always seemed to get the better of her. The long standing sibling rivalry between the pair started to bubble once again.

Will smirked as he informed everyone, "Of course Mom used to call her 'Calamity Jane' when she got in trouble as a little kid." He relished in her embarrassment for the moment.

She sneered at him, "You ass!"

Rachel started to chuckle and remarked, "Frankie can be a calamity at times."

Teaspoon soon realized why Frankie picked on her brother so much for he picked on her in return. The world of sibling rivalry had collided before them and now he had not only the issue of hiding Will and Serge from the town but keeping the war between brother and sister under control.

"That's enough," he held up his hands. "Deputy…Dr. Hicks…You two can make yourselves at home here and will be sleeping in the bunk house." He looked at Frankie and couldn't help but find her situation humorous. "'Calamity Jane' here will stay in the house with Rachel," he teased her slightly.

Lou whispered to Frankie, "I'm so sorry but I think that awful nickname is gonna follow you."

"Great," she rolled her eyes unenthused.

**Later**

Much like Kid's late brother Jed, Will was very charming and gracious. He had style and a way with words and he often choose to use his words other than force, which made him a very good deputy.

Rachel could not help but notice how charming the man was; his handsome good looks and she even found the uniform he arrived in very appealing as did Lou. Needless to say, Frankie's big brother was essentially a "chick magnet."

They sat at the table for dinner. Will and Serge were treated as guest by the riders and Rachel. Teaspoon took his seat at the head of the table and Frankie sat across from Will and scowled at him the entire time.

Unlike Kid, who adored his late older brother, Frankie found she was far more jealous of her brother for the man always charmed his way right into her life. She could not get away from him no matter what she did…Not even choosing to live in the past could get her away from Will.

Will on the other hand was concerned for his little sister for she always seemed to have a knock for getting in trouble. And not only had she voluntarily went to live in the past, she was also very much attracted to a man who would soon become a legendary gunfighter and Will was not about to let that mistake happen.

In the back of his mind he was hoping Serge could talk some sense into her for Frankie seemed to admire him. And Frankie did indeed admire Serge and viewed him as more of a big brother than Will. She also pondered Serge and his lack of a relationship and thought he and Rachel would make an adorable couple, thus she simply wanted Will to go home, Serge to stay and be with Rachel and her own life to be big brother free.

Serge was in his glory for he was a huge "Wild Bill" Hickok fan and had the chance to meet legendary figures from the Old West. It never crossed his mind that he was in a time when slavery was still a part of the economy but waning socially.

Teaspoon asked, "So, what are you two fellas going to do here until we find a way to get ya back home?"

Will shrugged and stated, "I'm a deputy sheriff. Need any help, Marshal?"

He pondered and found Will had an advantage with his career choice and his charming manner and it could come in handy.

"I might," Teaspoon agreed.

Frankie's mouth dropped, "You are making him a deputy?" she asked.

Teaspoon nodded, "I could use a good man." He looked at Serge and asked, "What are your plans, Serge?"

He pondered, "Plans?"

"What do you plan to do here while you are here?" asked Teaspoon.

He puffed his cheeks and let out a sigh, "I have no idea. I'm a doctor and a former Marine. Does the town need a doctor?"

"Got one," Frankie lifted her finger up.

Serge shrugged, "I have no idea what I will do here."

"How about riding?" asked Jimmy, "You can ride, right?"

"A horse?" he asked.

Jimmy nodded, "Frankie can't ride…At all. Can you ride a horse or have you never rode one either?"

"Actually," Serge grinned, "I grew up with horses. My grandfather owned a stable for race horses."

Teaspoon asked, "You can ride pretty fast?"

Serge nodded, "Heck yeah!"

Frankie asked, "You know how to ride a horse?"

"English and western saddles," he nodded. "I almost became a veterinarian."

"Really?" asked Teaspoon impressed. "We can use a rider if you don't mind."

Serge grew giddy, "You mean…Ride for the Pony Express?"

"If you're interested," agreed Teaspoon.

Frankie shook her head, "Serge…You're a doctor!"

He nodded wide-eyed, "But this is a once in a life time opportunity…To ride for Pony Express and meet real gunfighters and professional gamblers."

"Serge?" she asked confused.

He waved his finger, "You know how your idea of a vacation was to bike ride the old Pony Express Trail and see a museum?"

She nodded.

He explained, "Well, this is kind of like that but not nearly as lame."

She rolled her eyes.

"I take it you'll be joining us, Serge?" asked Teaspoon.

"Yup," he grinned.

"Welcome aboard, Serge," grinned Jimmy.

"Thank you, Mr. Hickok," he replied.

"My father was Mr. Hickok," Jimmy replied.

"Wild Bill?" asked Serge.

"Just 'Jimmy,'" he informed.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

**Next Day**

Will had issued a deputy's badge and a revolver for his new job as a deputy Marshal. He fit into the job rather smoothly with hardly any issues at all. Matter of fact most of the towns' people were rather impressed by the new deputy. He was taller than Kid, just as handsome and very carried a gentleman's demeanor.

In general, Will was the exact opposite of Frankie. They were the equivalent to night and day. Will was smooth and charming while Frankie tended to be bossy and obnoxious. They got along as well as Charlie Brown and Lucy van Pelt and the coolest dog in the whole town was a German Sheppard named Katie.

It was now noon and Rachel had brought some lunch to Teaspoon and Will at the local jail house. She walked inside and spotted the pair sitting back and reading the local newspaper.

"I brought you two some lunch," cheered Rachel.

Teaspoon peaked out from behind the paper and grinned, "Oh, what ya bring us?"

Will sat up and placed the paper down and looked at the pocket watch Teaspoon had lent him to use.

"Lunch time already?" he asked to be sure.

"It is," assured Rachel who found Will very attractive.

"Wow, not used to having someone just bring me lunch," stated Will who usually ended up having fast food for lunch. He scooted his chair closer to the picnic basket that held the goodies.

Teaspoon asked, "What do sheriffs normally do for lunch in your world, William?"

He shrugged, "Usually go to McDonald's or something like that."

Teaspoon's face soured, "You eat at that place all the time?"

He nodded unenthused, "Nothing like what I've been eating here. Maybe Frankie came back for the food?" he laughed.

Rachel asked, "Was that McDonald's place bad, Teaspoon?"

He nodded and spoke to Will, "I think your sister might have been trying to kill us."

Will laughed, "That wouldn't be my weapon of choice if that was the case." He dug through the basket, "Oh, warm biscuits and real honey…Boy, this place is gonna make me fat."

Teaspoon shook his head, "Son, McDonald's would make you fat…And them little cookies…With the white stuff in the middle."

"Oreo's?" asked Will.

"Them too," nodded Teaspoon.

"I'm glad you like my cooking, Will," stated Rachel.

He nodded, "It's excellent."

Rachel stood and smiled trying to think of someway to hint to Will that she would like to go to dinner and have a date with him but the man seemed rather oblivious.

Teaspoon asked, "How is Serge fitting in with the boys?"

"Right now he's teaching them something he learned in the Marine Corps," she informed.

"The boys will be pleased," assured Teaspoon.

"How to knife fight," she nodded.

Will suggested, "I could teach the boys something too…There is a maneuver we cops us to subdue a drunk without hurting them." Will didn't truly comprehend the dangers of the rider's jobs and assumed they would act more like modern civilians in the face of a threat.

Teaspoon shook his head, "I've spent a week in your time, William and I know your job was pretty tough. But these boys will be isolated and alone. They will have to run like hell if they can and if they can't, shoot to survive. They don't make arrest and keep the peace…That's our job. Their job is to survive and get the mail through."

"I guess I never thought of that," he admitted.

Rachel spotted her chance, "I wouldn't mind learning some of that, Will. Some of what you could teach me could come in hand out in these parts...Especially when the drinking starts."

"I'd be glad too," she assured her. Then the he found some chicken and started to eat. "This beats KFC any day."

"KFC?" asked Rachel.

"A place called Kentucky Fried Chicken," stated Teaspoon. "Me and the boys tried it out when you were in the hospital."

"And?" she asked.

Teaspoon nodded, "William is right!" He then found a piece of chicken to eat as well. "This is much better than anything we had there."

Will nodded, "This is fantastic."

"Why thank you, Will," she grinned. "You should try my stew tonight."

He agreed, "Love too."

"I'll see you two tonight for dinner then," she gave a final nod and walked back out to return to the house.

Teaspoon started, "When I was in your world for that week, I discovered there was something called a 'gay movement.' At first I thought it meant to be happy but I found out that wasn't what it meant."

Will laughed, "Nope, that's not what it meant."

Teaspoon wondered, "Well, son…Are you part of that 'movement?'"

Will gave a funny look, "Um…No…Why?"

Teaspoon mentioned, "Cause even a blind man can see that Rachel seems a bit attracted to you, son."

Will gasped, "Really?"

He nodded, "I believe so."

"Wow," Will pondered, "I never would have guessed that. I mean…She's very beautiful and…" he tailed off.

"And what?" he asked.

Will became meek, "She kind of out of my league."

"League?" asked Teaspoon.

"You know," started Will, "she's very beautiful, much respected and a pillar of the community and I'm just this…Nerd."

"What's a nerd?" asked Teaspoon.

Will pondered, "You know…The kid in school who is goofy and reads all the time."

"Oh," he gave a nod. "You don't seem goofy to me."

Will confessed, "I'm a Trekkie."

"I'm not sure I know what that is?" stated Teaspoon.

"You watched TV when you were there, right?" asked Will.

Teaspoon nodded, "_The Three Stooges_."

"I like them too," agreed Will. "But there was this show about a ship in space. It was called _Star Trek _and I'm a huge fan."

"I see," nodded Teaspoon. "I don't think Rachel would mind if you are a 'Trekkie.'"

"Really?" he pondered. "What do you think I should do?"

Teaspoon pondered, "I suggest you ask her out to dinner, son."

"You think she would go with me?" he asked unsure.

He gave a nod, "Only one way to find out, son."

Will agreed, "I guess you're right."

**Meanwhile**

Frankie sat on the porch and watched as Serge instructed the riders on how to effectively kill someone with a large knife. The session quickly went from an instruction setting to mock wrestling. Jimmy faced off against Serge as they wrestled each other to the ground.

Needless to say, Jimmy was no match for the Marine but he genuinely liked Serge and held much respect for the man. Jimmy rose to his feet a dusted himself off.

Cody mocked, "You got beat, Jimmy."

Jimmy shrugged, "He's a Marine!"

Serge laughed, "Who's next?"

"I am," stated Buck who stepped forward.

Serge motioned, "Come on."

Buck took and stance and quickly flipped Serge right over his head using an unknown move.

Serge looked up, "What the hell was that?"

Buck smirked, "A move my people taught me. It's called 'flying bird.'"

Serge smirked, "More like 'Sneaky-Ninja-Indian-Shit.'" He then went for him in return.

As Buck and Serge went about their match, Jimmy took a seat next to Frankie. He had yet to give her the bracelet he purchased. He casually tried to work up his courage.

Jimmy had issues working up his courage when it came to gun fighting or riding. He had no issues being brave when it came to standing up for himself or his friends but when it came to Frankie; courage was something he seemed to have trouble mustering.

"Serge is a good guy," he noted. It really wasn't what his mind but it did come out of his mouth.

"Serge is a great guy," countered Frankie. She then mentioned, "He would be perfect for Rachel."

Jimmy shrugged, "I think Rachel kind of likes your brother more."

Frankie shivered, "That just freaked me out." As Frankie's mind churned on what to do to get Rachel more interested in Serge, Jimmy sat nervously.

He gulped and then pulled out a small box from his pocket and presented it to her, "For you."

She looked at the small jewelry box and asked, "You got me something?"

He explained, "It's a thank you gift for helping out Rachel."

She smiled, "Really?" she took and box and the rider all started to take notice.

Billy asked, "That's not what I think it is?"

Kid shrugged, "Don't know."

Lou rolled her eyes, "Rings would be in a smaller box, boys."

Billy couldn't help but ask, "How would you know, Lou? Have you been looking at them?"

She didn't say a word and mere smirked back.

He whispered to Kid, "I think you got your work set out for ya."

It was far too soon as to Kid's estimation for such a thing. And even though Will looked a lot like him, he had no confirmation Lou even eventually would marry him. All he knew was Lou would eventually have Frankie's great grandmother.

"Maybe it's not even me," Kid replied to Billy.

Billy looked at him, "Did you look at her brother?"

Kid nodded, "He's a good man…Frankie seems a bit jealous of him."

Billy shot him another look and asked again, "Did you 'look' at her brother?"

"Um…" he tailed off in thought.

Frankie opened the box and found the bracelet, she grinned at him, "You picked this out?"

He nodded omitting the fact that Rachel helped.

"You like it?" he wondered.

"Love it," she replied and then wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tight.

Lou approached, "Can I see it, Frankie."

Frankie released embrace on Jimmy and held up the bracelet for Lou to see, "Check it out, Lou."

She looked and smiled, "That's lovely."

Frankie then suggested, "When I'm old and dead…Make sure this goes to my future great grandma and have her pass it down to me…That I can get it twice." She then pondered, "I wonder if that will work with gold coins too? I could be rich," she suddenly realized.

Serge wasn't interested in the bracelet but when Frankie suggested passing down gold to herself his ears perked up.

"Now that is the best idea you ever had," he added.

Lou asked, "Passing down her bracelet to my future daughter?"

Billy added, "So…That way your future daughter can give it back to her," he grinned, "That is a neat idea."

Serge shook his head, "No passing down gold coins so get it in the future. Image how your trip would have gone if we were ready for ya for that week you spent in the future. Frankie could have had a mansion for you to stay at."

Kid stated, "I'm not sure I follow. How would some gold coins from now make Frankie rich later?"

"Inflation," replied Serge. "Didn't you guys see the prices and the money we are using?"

Jimmy nodded, "Yup, very strange."

"Image if Frankie and I managed to gather a whole bunch of gold coins to pass down to ourselves in the future. We could be rich!"

Frankie nodded, "If we keep the coins in mint condition we can sell them at auction."

Serge pondered, "If you and I can figure out to use this time travel thing to make money…Just image what the government can do with it?"


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"What do you mean you're having dinner with my brother?" huffed Frankie.

Rachel smiled and nodded, "I'm having dinner with William."

"'William?'" she asked.

"Everyone in the town calls him 'William,'" she replied. "I think it was Teaspoon's doing. He started calling him 'William' first."

Frankie stood with her mouth gaping.

Rachel asked, "Is there something wrong?"

"What about Serge?" she asked.

"What about him?" shrugged Rachel.

Frankie asked, "Don't you like him?"

Rachel sighed, "Frankie, I like Serge a lot and he is wonderful doctor. But I'm not interested in him. Besides, I couldn't even if I were."

"Why not?" she snorted.

"He's a Negro," she reminded.

Frankie stood mouth opened wide as she couldn't believe her ears; she snorted, "If he was white then you wouldn't have an issue?"

"No," she shook her head, "That's not it…It's illegal." She placed her hands on Frankie's shoulders and looked at her in the eye, "I adore Serge, and he's a wonderful man. He's intelligent, good with horses and a fine doctor. But even if he was a white man, I would not be interested in him romantically…Okay?"

"Alright," she rolled her eyes as her plans were torpedoed.

"Now, why are you so upset that I am having dinner with your brother?" wondered Rachel.

She miffed, "Do you have any idea what it is like to have the perfect big brother?"

"I'm not sure I follow," stated Rachel a bit confused.

Frankie explained, "All my life I have lived in his shadow. He's the perfect big brother. Always popular, always has lots of friends, everyone adores him and I'm the annoying kid sister who is always in trouble even when I don't even try."

Rachel grinned, "Well, I suppose the more things change the more they remain the same. You and Will maybe from a different world but you still have issues that any other brother and sister would have."

"He's perfect and I'm the reject," she muttered.

Rachel cupped Frankie's face and looked into her eyes, "You are not a reject…And you and your brother are a lot more alike than you realize."

Frankie's shoulder's dropped, "You mean I really am as lame as him?"

Rachel shook her head, "No, neither one of you two are lame. You're second great grandparents are Lou and Kid…That alone should tell ya something."

"What do you mean?" she asked. "Lou is cool but Kid is just like the rest of us…Lame…"

Rachel replied, "You underestimate him."

"Kid?" she asked, "Seriously?"

"Seriously?" she nodded.

**Meanwhile**

Kid had taken the time to work with Katie the German Sheppard. He had managed to get the dog to ride on the back of his horse, Katie as he walked the animals around the fence. Unlike many, Kid could see the value in a well-trained dog and horse working together even if it was for delivering packages and letters.

Lou walked out with Billy as they went to see what kid had been doing. They found Kid walking the horse around with dog lying across her back on the saddle pad.

Lou grinned for she never thought she would see a dog named Katie riding a horse named Katie.

"What'cha doing, Kid?" she hollered.

Kid stopped the animals and presented his accomplishment, "I got Katie to ride on Katie."

Billy laughed, "A dog riding horse."

Kid held up his hand, "Wait," he then let go of the reigns and walked away from the horse. He stopped and then placed his two fingers in between his lips and gave a high pitch whistle. Kate the dog jumped from the horse and then went through an obstacle course using barrels and troves. She jumped over and trough the fences and then came to a sitting halt before kid. "Good girl," he cheered as he gave her a treat.

Lou grinned as Billy stood with his mouth wide open.

After a moment of thought Billy nodded in approval, "Now that's an idea." His mind churned for what kind of show he could make out of such a thing.

Kid grinned, "That's not all she can do."

Lou asked, "What else can she do?"

Kid looked at Billy and then the dog; he gave a command, "Hold'em, Katie."

The dog took off right after Billy and jumped over the fence, knocked him down flat on his back and then placed her moth right over his throat but did not bit down.

Billy lay terrified, "Kid, get her off me."

Kid gave another whistle and the dog went right back to his side.

Lou asked, "Does Will know she can do all this?" She then helped Billy back to his feet.

Kid nodded, "He showed me all she can do and asked if I could keep her training up. He said there isn't much for her to do right now since…What did he call it? Oh yeah, 'Pot' is legal here."

"What's pot?" asked Lou.

"Cannabis," informed Billy still brushing himself off.

She wondered, "Why would they call it 'pot?' And why would it be illegal in the future. It's a medicine?"

Kid shrugged, "Apparently it is. Katie Two here was trained to sniff it out."

"Katie Two?'" asked Billy.

Kid shrugged, "Well, I need a way to tell'em apart."

Billy retorted sarcastically, "Ones and horse the others a dog."

"I know that," he huffed.

**Later**

Dr. Bryon "Serge" Hicks had not returned from his very first run and the other riders grew concerned. The day was getting late and Teaspoon stood by the fence facing the western sunset and wondered just what happened to his newest friend. Serge wasn't just a friend for the man had already saved Rachel's life when she was ill and now Teaspoon feared something bad happened to him.

Jimmy walked out after dinner and found Teaspoon waiting by the fence looking into the sunset; he asked, "Any sign yet?"

Teaspoon shifted his weight, "Nope…Not yet."

"You think maybe the men in the funny suits got him?" wondered Jimmy.

"I have no idea," admitted Teaspoon who tried to hide just how concerned he truly was for if it were the strange men in the suits they would be after William as well and possibly even Frankie.

"You want me and the riders to go out looking in the morning?" wondered Jimmy.

"I do," he nodded. "Take Will's dog with ya…Dogs are good at picking up a scent trail."

Jimmy nodded, "Good idea. Kid seems to be able to handle pretty well."

Teaspoon agreed, "He seems to have a natural ability with animals."

"If it is those men…You think they will be after Will and Frankie?" wondered Jimmy.

Teaspoon tried not to how his fear and let out a sigh, "Not sure. Will is pretty good as handling himself. Frankie can defend herself if need be."

Jimmy smirked, "Yeah, she can be a pistol. I'll let the riders know we go out first thing in the morning." He then turned back to the back house.

Teaspoon looked upon the setting sun as his concern grew and he tried very hard to figure out what could have happened to Serge.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Serge found himself in the most horrible situation. He was captured and chained up like an animal and then smuggled south to be sold as a slave. The men who captured him were nothing more than hired thugs who found him alone in a hotel. The men slipped a drug in his drink and the next thing he knew he was chained and in a wooden box. He struggled to get free. He had to figure out a way to escape but the chains were much heavier than he anticipated.

A crackly voice spoke out of the darkness, "You keep doing that you won't have any strength left."

Serge asked, "Who's there?"

The voice replied, "Just an old man."

Serge asked, "Where am I?"

"Traders wagon," he replied.

Serge started thinking of an escape, "Okay, they have to stop sometime. If I could just…"

"Hold your strength son," the old man told him. "You will need it."

Serge grew angry at his predicament. He pulled as hard as he could on the chains but they would not give. He sat back against the wall defeated.

He asked, "What's your name old man?"

The man replied, "My name is Isaac." He leaned forward and out of the darkness and into a ray of sunlight that shined through the cracks in the walls.

Serge jerked his head back for the man looked like Morgan Freeman. His mind raced back to an old movie.

"Are you God?" he asked unsure. Perhaps, it was the MIB? Maybe that stupid movie was based on real life he wondered.

Isaac laughed, "Of course not." He leaned back finding Serge humorous.

Serge was about to go through the roof. Captured by slave traders and stuck in the back of a wooden meat wagon with a man who looked like Morgan Freeman. His day could possibly get any worse.

The wagon came to a halt and the rear doors swung open. Two rough looking large men entered the wagon to remove the occupants. They took Isaac first for he would be more cooperative.

Then they unlocked Serge's chains and led him out the back fully expecting that he would fight back but Serge was a military man who gauged the situation looking for weakness in the enemy.

He allowed them to lead him outside and what he found was an appalling sight. Well-to-do men, women and children all stood about looking at the slaves. Serge was led out of the back of the wagon as the onlooker's gazed upon him.

A well-dressed young woman with a brown complexion stood by an older white man. He was dressed much like a businessman as the young woman wore a fine red skirt and jacket suit.

She eagerly gazed upon Serge, "Father," she pointed to Serge, "That one."

The old man puckered in thought, "He would be trouble."

"He's very strong," she countered.

Her father pondered, "He looks calculating. Don't need that. How about the old man?"

She asked, "Why not both?"

"Not sure I have enough for both," he mentioned. "The old man would be less of an issue. That big one…He's trouble…Has trouble written all over his face."

She smirked at her father, "And I'm not?"

He grinned back, "You most certainly are, my dear."

Serge decided to try and make a break for it. He turned around quick and grabbed one of the abductors and wrapped his chained arms around the neck of the man. He was going to kill the abductor when a herd of men came to the abductor's aid and got Serge off. They pounded on Serge leaving him bloodied and battered but still he stood before them.

Serge yelled out, "What is the matter with you people? What the hell are you doing? I was abducted by that creep. He drugged my drink." He stood and looked upon the faces all of whom stared at him as he stood in the street. "I'm a free man!"

One of the abductors, a dirty looking man wearing dirty brown clothing huffed, "Ya aint a free man here."

Serge was much more articulated than the abductor and stood in total shock and asked, "You actually abducted me from a hotel room after slipping me a micky and now you are going to sell me for a profit? Isn't that illegal?"

The woman in red spoke to her father, "He seems to speak much better than most. His speech is very good. I bet he is educated."

He rebutted, "That makes him dangerous."

"I like him, father." She shot a grin, "Please, let's get him."

"Now Abby, what your mother say if we brought that one home? She asked for an older one to help with the house."

She smiled, "Get both…None of those two will fetch a good price now. The old one is too frail and that one is too difficult."

He huffed, "What if he runs away and I'm out good money?"

She threw a wicked grin, "I kind of hope he does…I'm a good tracker."

Serge looked over at the two speaking and spotted the women in red. She was half black to his estimation and could not for the life of him figure why she was there dressed in red and speaking with an old man.

"You…Why are you just standing there? This is wrong," he hollered. "You're half black," he insisted.

The old man huffed, "My daughter is half white."

Serge gave the most confused look upon the revelation that the old man is her father and a slave owner. He stood back in total shock.

She grinned, "I want him, father."

**Meanwhile**

Frankie had joined the riders in case they found Serge and he needed some medical help. She certainly didn't like to ride a horse but had no other alternative.

She complained, "Boy what I would give for a SUV right now."

Jimmy had to agree, "It would be faster."

"And not nearly as smelly," she added.

Lou stated, "I do miss that 'air conditioner' you had."

Even kid had to agree, "That was a nice thing to have on hot nights."

Billy huffed, "Electricity was a nice thing to have. I do miss that." He asked Frankie, "When does electricity get invented? Will I be around to see it?"

She thought, "I think you will see it when you're an old man, Billy."

He sighed, "I have to wait until I'm an old man to have electricity again?"

Lou added, "We all do, Billy." She looked over at Frankie still struggling with coping with the horse. "When do we get air conditioning? Does that come out when we are old too?"

"I think that came out in the fifties," she replied unsure. "You'll all be long gone and I won't be born then."

Lou smirked, "You'll be long gone too…You came back to be with us."

She pondered, "Yeah…Why did I do that again?" She waved a bug away from her face.

Lou suggested, "Jimmy?"

Frankie looked at him and grinned, "Oh yeah, you…I gave it all up for Wild Bill Hickok." She then muttered, "What the hell was I thinking?"

Jimmy reminded her, "I was going to stay with you in the future and mow lawns for a living."

She asked, "And how is that a bad thing? We could have done that."

Billy replied, "Doesn't Jimmy become famous?"

"He already is," she muttered.

"Apparently I become a marshal," he added. "Then I get shot in the back."

Everyone fell silent for a moment debating what to say.

Frankie suggested, "There were a lot of discrepancies in the written history and in our reality. Maybe, some facts were messed up?"

Jimmy huffed, "I don't think being shot in the back was all that messed up."

She gulped, "It won't happen for a while."

Jimmy smirked, "Not really that comforting."

She nodded, "I know."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Teaspoon sat and wondered just what became of Serge as he tried to go about his daily business. William was also trying to keep his mind of Serge and found being stuck in the town was rather mind wrecking. He was used to going on pursuit, used to catching the bad guy and not staying behind. He felt frustrated but understood Teaspoon needed more men than was available.

Teaspoon sat behind his desk with Will in the office debating what could have happened to Serge.

"Possible slave traders got him," stated Teaspoon.

Will asked, "What would happen if they got him? Can we get him back?"

Teaspoon sighed, "Hard to say. Depends on how far south he gets."

"Going south?" he asked. "You know, the SUV could make that trek in no time and it's just sitting in the barn."

Teaspoon nodded, "I could but that SUV takes gasoline and we don't have that here. Plus, it would scare the locals and we can't have that. The boys will find him and bring him home."

"I hate just sitting here," added Will.

"Me too," nodded Teaspoon. "But we need to protect that SUV and the town."

"I know," he agreed.

A young boy from the town then came running into the office. He was about ten years old and wore brown trousers and a blue shirt. His brown hair flopped over to the side as he excitedly tried to explain.

"Marshal, marshal," the boy hollered.

Teaspoon soothed, "What is it, Tommy?"

"There's a gambler in town," he stated excited.

"There are always gamblers in town," rebutted Teaspoon.

The boy exclaimed, "He's says his name is Wild Bill Hickok."

Teaspoon made a face, "He does?"

The boy nodded, "Came in on a Pony Express coach."

Teaspoon gave a strange look, "A man working for the Pony Express and claims he's Jimmy?"

The boy nodded, "He's a bit older than Jimmy and has two ivory handle colts. He dressed nice and has a mustache. He says he's the real Wild Bill Hickok and that Jimmy is a fake."

"Thank you, Tommy," stated Teaspoon. "Will and I will be right out. You can go now."

"Yes sir," the boy obediently complied.

Teaspoon looked at Will, "What do you know about Wild Bill Hickok from your history books?"

Will cocked his head, "Just what the boy said. Drove a coach for the express, didn't ride a horse like Jimmy and was a gambler who wore his pistols in a belt rather than a rig. Ya think maybe this Hickok is a fake?"

"Not sure," stated Teaspoon, "let's go visit Mister Hickok for a moment."

**Meanwhile**

The riders and Frankie arrived at the last town Serge would have been in on the route. They looked about the dusty border town and wondered just what became of their friend. The noticed there was no law in town and the people seemed to keep to themselves. They made their way to the hotel and dismounted the horses.

Kid kept a hold of the dog and looked about, "I suppose we could get some rooms for the night," he mentioned.

Frankie suggested, "Let Will's mutt smell that piece of Serge's shirt we brought and see if she can sniff out his scent."

Kid agreed, "Good place to start," he knelt down to the dog that licked his face for she simply adored the rider.

Frankie crossed her arms and puckered at the sight, "Damn dog would bit me."

As Kid let the dog sniff the shirt Lou pulled Jimmy aside.

She asked him, "Um, what are your plans for tonight?"

He shrugged, "Get something to eat and go to sleep."

Lou kept her voice low, "Frankie will insist on me sharing a room with her and that will look awkward since I'm supposed to be a boy and all. Could you pass her off as your wife at the check in?"

"Why not let her claim you're her brother?" he asked.

"Well, we are doubling up and I would kind of like to share a room with Kid tonight," she admitted.

"Fair enough," he lifted an eyebrow.

She grabbed his arm, "It's not what you think." She reached for an excuse, "Frankie snores."

"If you say so," he smirked.

Lou blushed and then swiftly turned away kicking herself as she was embarrassed.

Jimmy went over to Frankie and spoke to her keeping his voice low, "Lou suggested you pose as my wife tonight and we share a room."

Frankie asked, "Why?"

He grinned, "She says you snore."

"I do not," she assured herself unsure if she did indeed snore.

"She wants to stay with Kid and the dog tonight," he mentioned.

Frankie puffed her cheeks, "Maybe she feels safer with dog? That mutt seems to like everyone but me."

Jimmy smirked, "I would have to agree."

"Fine," she huffed unenthused. She miffed, "You can be Mister Peterman tonight."

Jimmy pondered the joke, "Does that mean you would be beside me tonight?"

Frankie had no idea that he meant making love and assumed it was an innocent statement, "I'll be right beside you," she replied and then muttered under her breath, "In a hot, humid room with stinking pot under the bed."

Jimmy didn't catch the rest and found that her time was so much more open about such matters that she simply just agreed to the proposal. He held out his elbow for her to take.

"May I?" he asked with a tip of the hat. He mimicked Teaspoon perfectly.

She giggled and took the arm, "You may. You did that just like Teaspoon."

"I've been watching him," he admitted.

"Too bad we don't have more people like Teaspoon in my world," she mentioned. "The world could use more people like him."

Jimmy countered, "I think the folks in your world scared him."

"Really?" she asked as they walked inside with the other riders. "He didn't seem scared. He fit right in," she assumed.

Billy over heard and muttered to himself walking behind them, "Nobody fit into that place."

**Meanwhile**

Serge found himself sitting in the back of a wagon with a man who looked like a famous actor as they were recently purchased in the slave trade. Serge looked down at his chains with absolute disgust.

Abby was sitting next to her father in the driver's seat looked back over her shoulder. She curiously asked for their names.

"What do others call you?" she wondered.

Serge wasn't about to give her that information and remained silent.

Isaac spoke up, "I'm called Morgan…Morgan Freeman."

Serge shot him a look.

Isaac asked, "What do folks call you, son?"

"Serge," he replied disgusted.

Isaac gave him an easy look, "It will be okay, son."

He shook his head, "No, it won't."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Teaspoon walked into the local saloon with William right behind him. The saloon was a rather rough place in general. A long bar ran the length of the far wall with a bartender tending to his duties. Ladies dressed in skimpy Victorian style undergarments outfits were scattered about the saloon as many entertained the men. Round tables with chairs were set up for drinking and gambling. At one table close to the bar sat a group of men playing cards.

Teaspoons eyes landed on an older man who looked a lot like Jimmy but with a mustache. Teaspoon figured this must be the other Hickok in town.

He approached the table, "Boys," he greeted them.

The men all greeted, "Marshal."

Hickok gave a nod, "Marshal."

Teaspoon asked, "Can I have a word with you?"

The man agreed, "Certainly." He stood up from the table. The first thing Will noticed is that the man was dressed much like the historical accounts he read about. He wore a rugged over coat and a belt around his middle sporting two colts in the belt with no holsters.

The man walked away from the game for he was on a losing streak and Teaspoon just saved him some money. He was rather agreeable and spoke kindly.

"Evening Marshal," he began. "I understand there is another man with my name in this town."

"That's what I came to speak to you about," he agreed. "I have a rider for the Express named James Butler Hickok. I understand you're an Express driver."

He nodded, "That I am."

"Your name James Butler Hickok too?" he wondered.

He nodded, "I am but I've always been called 'Bill' after my father. William Hickok." He then mentioned, "My friends have called me 'Wild Bill' for years. I met some dime novel writer not long ago and he was asking me about my name. I figured I was the one he wrote those dime novels about and boy did he glorify it…Though, I tell the boys it's all real," he admitted.

Will being more familiar with history asked, "What was the town and state you were born in and your parents' names were?"

Hickok found the question odd but considering there was another by the same name he admitted, "I was born in Homer, Illinois and my father was William Hickok and my mother was Polly Butler Hickok."

Will asked, "Do you have any aliases we should know about?"

Hickok shrugged, "Sometimes they call me 'Duck Bill' that stopped after I grew the mustache, and sometimes they confuse my last name with Haycock. Who is this boy with my name?"

Teaspoon informed, "We have a young rider named Jimmy Hickok and when he met the same writer of them there dime novels. We all assumed he was writing about him."

Hickok nodded, "I can see how that could be. Them there stories has me doing all sort of stuff. He has me even wearing a holster rig and shooting from the hip with deadly accuracy. He got me riding horses and chasing Indians and Outlaws." The man laughed, "Makes for a good story but you can't have deadly accuracy shooting from the hip."

Teaspoon looked at the set up, "That why you wear them pistols like that."

Hickok turned sideways and demonstrated as he drew the weapon and leveled the sights in record time.

Teaspoon lifted an eyebrow, "That would do it."

Will spoke to Hickok, "Thank you, sir. You're free to go now. Teaspoon, can I talk to you?"

Teaspoon gave a nod, "Of course deputy." He spoke to Hickok, "Try to stay out of trouble."

The man nodded, "I will, Marshal." Then he stepped away looking for a girl for the evening.

Will and Teaspoon stood in the corner of the saloon and spoke in a low voice to not be overhead.

"I think that was the real deal," stated Will. "From Homer, Illinois and parents were William and Polly."

"Our Hickok is form Homer, Illinois too," stated Teaspoon.

Will agreed, "There is probably a whole slew of Hickok's from there. Did Jimmy ever say who his parents were?"

Teaspoon shook his head, "Nope, he never told me."

"When he gets back we need to find out," he informed. "Can you find out if the Express is employing two men with the same name?"

"I certainly can but it could take some time," he agreed.

Will sighed, "If Jimmy's parents are named William and Polly we have a serious problem."

"How's that son?" asked Teaspoon.

"Then Jimmy is an imposter," he suggested. "The history books state who his parents are and where he came from. Nowhere in the history books does it have James Butler Hickok using the name 'Jimmy' but he did go by 'Duck Bill" before he became 'Wild Bill.' The thing is that man looks a lot like Jimmy. I wonder if there is a genetic connection."

"They could be related," agreed Teaspoon. He licked his lips in thought, "I heard that Jimmy will get shot in the back playing cards eventually."

"That's how Wild Bill Hickok died," he nodded.

Teaspoon pondered, "What if our James Butler Hickok is not Wild Bill Hickok? What if that man dies and not Jimmy?"

"Right now, I would say that is correct," agreed Will.

Teaspoon smiled slightly, "Then Jimmy can relax cause…He's not gonna get shot in the back playing cards. Matter of fact, he can peruse that relationship with your sister he's been pondering. He confessed to me he was hesitant because he didn't want his life to be what he heard it would be."

Will's mouth dropped, "Let's not tell him," he suggested.

Teaspoon raised an eyebrow, "You would rather let Jimmy think he would end up shot in the back then tell him the truth?"

Will nodded, "If it means keeping him away from my sister, yeah."

Teaspoon argued, "But he's not 'Wild Bill Hickok.' That man is."

"Let's not tell him," insisted Will.

Teaspoon disagreed, "The boy is torn up about thinking he will get shot in the back and killed. He thinks it's written in stone and he has to go through with it. But he doesn't and it's not his destiny but you would rather have him think it was just to protect your sister's virtue?"

"You don't understand. Frankie will not sleep with him unless he marries her. Can you see him as my brother-in-law?" asked Will.

Teaspoon grinned, "Actually, yes I can."

**Hotel**

After have dinner the riders all retired to their rooms. They decided to double up in order to save money and Jimmy had registered himself and Frankie as a married couple under his name and not hers. He simply would not go as Mr. Peterman for that would give the boys far too much ammunition against him in the future.

Having a medical background made Frankie far from a shy person. Matter of fact in the world of medicine, most ironically, there is no such thing as privacy. A body was simply a body and she started to undress for the evening right in front of him.

Jimmy asked, "You want me to turn around?"

Frankie looked down at her undergarments which still covered far more skin than a modern bathing suit; she shrugged, "Why? Can't see anything?"

Jimmy nodded and started to adjust the bedding, "I suppose you're right."

He removed his clothing down to his undergarments and then climbed into bed. Frankie crawled in the cozy full size bed next to him after blowing out the oil lamp on the nearby dresser. They laid there quietly for a moment. Jimmy turned on his side and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer.

Though it was hot, she didn't mind for she liked to snuggle and thus simply tried to sleep.

Jimmy wasn't sure what to do for he had never been with a woman before. He started by gently kissing her cheek.

She responded by turning to face him, she kissed him back gently on the lips.

As the kissing grew deeper he started to rub her back and then gently move his hand under her top undergarment and felt her breast. As he moved to remove her lower garment she stopped him cold in his tracks.

"Stop right there," she told him.

He pulled back confused, "What?" he asked. The moonlight shined through the window and softly lit up her face.

"I'll let you get to second base but that is far as you're getting," she informed.

"Huh?" he asked dumbfounded.

She explained, "I don't believe in pre-marital sex."

He propped himself up on one arm and hovered over her with the most confused look upon his face; he asked, "You don't believe in pre-marital sex?"

She shook her head, "Nope."

He pondered, "But you don't like church and refuse to even go. How can you say you need to be married?"

She countered, "You can be married and not be religious." She explained, "I am saving myself for when I get married."

He asked, "What?" He thought about her world, "I've been to your world and there ain't nobody saving themselves there."

"I am a virgin by choice," she informed.

He shook his head, "There ain't no virgins in your world."

"Actually we do exist and some of us still have morals and virtues," she rebutted with a wave of the finger.

"Not many," he countered.

She nodded, "I know."

Jimmy asked, "So, we have to get married before we can go any further?"

She nodded.

"But you said you would earlier," he rebutted.

She gave a funny look, "No I didn't. I never said I would."

"I asked if you would be beside me tonight," he countered.

She pondered, "Is that what you were talking about? Because, I had no idea where you were going with that."

Jimmy asked, "Then what I was supposed to say? 'Let's have sex tonight?'"

"That would be less confusing," she nodded.

He rolled over on his back and rubbed her face, "Damn, you are the craziest woman I have ever met."

She placed her head on his chest and draped her arm around his middle; she stated, "I love you too."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, kissing her forehead, "You are crazy."

**Meanwhile**

Kid and Lou were lying next to one another in the bed. Lou was feeling very spunky but Kid seemed far more concerned with the dog. And the dog, Katie seemed to be growing far fonder of Kid than Lou.

Katie made her way between the pair on the bed.

Lou asked, "Kid, can the dog sleep on the floor?"

Kid replied, "She picked up a scent today and we need to be careful."

"But she sleeping right between us," countered Lou.

"She's a police dog. She's protecting us," he assured her.

The dog licked his face and scooted closer and in the process started pushing Lou closer to the edge of the bed. It was if the dog was trying to force her off the bed and onto the floor.

She soon found she disliked the dog and muttered under her breath, "Damn dog."


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Serge looked up from the back of the wagon. His eyes settled on the large mansion that was plastered with white wash and sported four large pillars in the front of the estate. The grounds were well kept and green with grass and lush plants, all imported to the hostile region that was otherwise a bare wasteland of dirt, mud and rock.

In way it was almost comforting seeing the grass for it reminded him of home but the reality of his situation trumped any comfort he could partake. He was now a slave and his life work seemed futile as the reality sank into his consciousness.

Serge had to admit, the old man paid handsomely for his soul. His value as a slave was two thousand dollars, a rather hefty sum in the 19th century. Prostitutes could be bought in the 21st century for far less. The only comfort he could take away from the situation is to knowledge he was actually worth money. He calculated the rate of inflation and determined his hide was now worth two hundred thousand dollar in modern time wealth. That was more than he made in a year as a resident. And if he was more agreeable he would have been worth even more. He used the value to his advantage. If the old man was willing to sink that much money into his hide then he should leverage that against him.

He tried to place himself in the old man's shoes. If he just sank two hundred thousand dollars into something what he do? He would take care of it and hope it keeps its value. He wondered if humans have a depreciation rate and it suddenly struck him that we indeed do so for health insurance was less likely to pay for an older person's medical needs due to age.

Another thought suddenly struck his mind. Humans are capital and even in modern healthcare, we humans are seeing as something to make money on. He sat with the most disturbed look upon his face upon the realization. He went into medicine to help people, not make money off their souls. It was disturbing to say the least. All his life he always considered himself a humanitarian and a free man but the stark reality of what managed healthcare actually was shook him to his core.

Isaac asked, "You okay, son?"

He nodded slowly and looked upon the mansion, "Nice house," he told Abby sitting in the driver's seat.

She smirked, "Wait until you see what's on the other side."

He asked unenthused, "Whips and chains?"

She didn't reply as the large gate was opened and they went around the house to the carriage house to the side. Another man of color greeted them.

"Welcome home, Master," he nodded. "He was an older man with gray hair and was missing a few teeth. He was dressed in brown work clothes but seemed unusually happy to Serge.

The old man stated, "Tend to the horses. Abby, you tend the new ones."

"Yes father," she agreed. She shot a look to Serge whom she obviously found attractive. "Time we got you cleaned up."

Serge smirked back, "I don't clean up well."

**Rock Creek**

Will sat at Teaspoon's desk pouring over a dime novel and making notes. He had a long list of scribble on the paper as he deciphered what he found.

Teaspoon walked in after making some rounds and noticed Will was busy reading; he asked, "What ya got there, son?"

"Beadle's dime novel about Hickok," he replied. "I'm combing through it and making notes."

Teaspoon walked over and glanced at the list while cranking his head to the side. His eyes seemed to skim down the list.

"What's ya find?" he wondered.

Will looked up and replied, "What this author did was take two guys and combine them into one super hero," he informed. "It reads just like a comic book. The character is physically based on Jimmy, right down the double holsters and the tan horse. But he ages him like Bill Hickok and names him after him. These stories are based on two different men. He's got Jimmy's wild attitude and demeanor but adds in Bill Hickok's charm."

Teaspoon scratched his chin in thought, "So he took two men and rolled them up into one fictitious character?"

Will nodded, "Yup."

"Hmm," Teaspoon debated, "So, them there stories are based on two different men but your history books only gives credit to the one we met today."

"Exactly," he agreed. "Meaning, we don't know what actually to Jimmy. We know what will happen to Bill Hickok.

Teaspoon pondered, "So, our Jimmy isn't the same man in the history books."

"Exactly," Will nodded, "the historical Hickok we just met today but Jimmy is only used for this dime novel as a character base. He doesn't make the history books. We have no idea what his future holds."

"So, the boy won't get shot in the back?" added Teaspoon.

Will agreed, "He won't as far as we know…He's not the historical Hickok in the books."

"That is good news," agreed Teaspoon.

Rachel walked in wearing her blue dress and had brought breakfast for the men and only overheard the last statement. She placed the basket down on the table before them.

"Morning Teaspoon, Will," she started to unpack their food, "What is good news? Any word on Serge?"

"None yet, but we discovered why there was so many discrepancies in the historical account of Wild Bill Hickok and Jimmy's life," explained Teaspoon looking over the goodies she unpacked.

"What did you two discover?" she wondered.

"There are two men named James Butler Hickok," explained Will, "Jimmy and another man we met last night who goes by the name Bill. He looks just like the historical photos, mustache and all. He even wears the colts the way the historical Hickok did. But both Jimmy and Bill Hickok met the same writer who did the dime novels, Mr. Beadle. What the writer did was take Jimmy's physical good looks, his dress, his horse, the double holsters, all that and combined it with Bill Hickok and make one fictional character. Beadle took Bill Hickok's nickname of 'Wild Bill' and used it for his character's name. Because both Jimmy and Bill Hickok met the same writer, who later published this novel, both men thought it was based on them but knew nothing about the other. Jimmy doesn't know there is another man named Hickok who is taking credit for this. He thinks it was him in the history books and it wasn't him."

Rachel stood confused, "What does that mean?"

"Jimmy doesn't get shot in the back playing cards. He doesn't get the credit for being Wild Bill Hickok, the other does," replied Will.

Rachel asked, "Jimmy lives?"

"As far as we know," he shrugged. "Everything we read was based on Bill Hickok and not Jimmy."

She grinned, "Jimmy will be relived to find out it wasn't actually him those books of yours."

Teaspoon agreed, "That's true, Rachel. However, now we don't know what became of him and with his reckless streak…There's no telling."

Rachel assured, "Once he finds out, he will calm down…He's got Frankie now."

Will sat and puckered in thought, "I was hoping she would come to her senses and dump him but then I remembered she doesn't have any sense. Maybe he will figure out she's nuts and run?"

Rachel scolded, "Now, William…How dare you say such a thing about your sister."

He shrugged, "This is Frankie we are talking about. She's nuts! The only one crazier than her is…" he reached for an answer.

Teaspoon suggested, "Hickok."

Will's shoulder's slunk, "Wonder how long it will be before those burn something down?"


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Kid had Katie the dog sniffing about to pick up any trace of Serge once more. Suddenly she perked up and found a hint of his scent on some clothing of rugged looking men who just back into town.

The pair that kidnapped Serge earlier had returned to their base of operation only to discover a bunch of Pony Express riders and a dog sniffing about. It wasn't a good sign as the riders had been asking about Serge that morning.

Katie took a point position before the two men. They were big and burly, smelled of tobacco and whiskey. They wore nicer clothing compared to most in the town; brown trousers, red vest and brown jackets. Both wore guns concealed under their jackets. Neither man was young, near middle age with graying thin hair. One man was heavier than the other but both equally ruthless. Jimmy and Kid took the lead as they approached the men.

"Can we talk to you two fellas?" asked Kid.

The heavier man asked, "What's all this about?"

Jimmy answered, "We're looking for a friend: Tall big guy. Black in color, has this tattoo on his arm…Can't miss him."

The men traded glances and then he replied, "Never seen him."

Kid accused, "Katie says otherwise. She's picked up his scent on you."

Jimmy added, "Now, I'm no expert with dogs and all but it seems to me if she can pick up another man's scent on your clothing then you had to have had contact with him. And you two don't look like the friendly type."

"You have nothing boy," the man huffed back.

His partner stated, "This dog of yours is wrong. Come on, Bruce…Whiskey is calling."

They were about to walk away from the boys when Frankie got in front of them. She was unarmed and confrontational.

"You were the last two to see him…Where is he?" she snorted.

Bruce replied, "Go home little lady. You might get hurt."

She refused to back down, "Where is my friend?"

"You're friend?" he laughed. "He's just some nigger."

She grew angry and like many people when Frankie got angry enough she didn't say anything but simply lashed out. She slapped him across the face in disgust.

"You never call him that again," she warned. "He's my friend; he's a doctor and well educated man."

Normally the kidnapper would have stuck back the nemesis even harder but with the boys all surrounding her he decided that would be a bad idea.

"Go home little lady…Your kitchen is calling ya." He walked past her towards the hotel.

Frankie turned towards Kid and huffed, "Can't we do something?"

Kid reminded, "There is no law in this town."

Jimmy walked up to sooth her, "Easy does it. We'll get him back…Okay." He cupped her face in his hands and tilted her face up and looked her directly in the eye. "We will get him back. It will take some time but we will get him back."

"This is such bullshit," she cried, "We know they are involved."

Jimmy cautioned, "And they know where he is and we need that information but you're not gonna get it that way."

"Then what do we do?" she asked.

"I'll think of something," he assured her. He then pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. "I'll think of something," he whispered assuringly.

**Meanwhile**

Serge was given a bath and clean clothes. He was rather surprised and thought for sure he would be tortured and whipped. But he wasn't and that confused him. But nothing confused him more than Abby. He couldn't understand why she helped her father and not stand up for the slaves. She seemed to act as his personal aid and spouted a pistol of an attitude.

Serge was brought to a large community table where food was laid out before them. It wasn't a feast fit for a king, but rather a community type assortment of oddities. He looked about the odd group of people and found many were women and children. He also found older men who looked too frail to really work the fields. He didn't see any other men his own age and the group was rather small. They all seemed happy and for some reason he found that most strange.

Abby walked out from the kitchen of the mansion with a pastry in her hands. She greeted the others.

"Morning," she smiled at them

The small group replied, "Morning, Miss Abby."

Abby looked at Serge, "And how did you sleep last night, Serge?"

He spoke slowly, "Okaay."

"You hungry?" she asked.

He asked, "That depends."

She wondered, "Depends on what?"

"Are you going to poison me?" he asked unsure.

The group all started laughing as Serge grew even more confused.

Isaac looked at his new friend, "You realize where we are son?"

He shook his head, "No idea."

"This is the Boyton Plantation," he informed.

Serge asked, "And what does that mean to me?"

Isaac asked, "You have not heard of this place?"

"No Morgan…I haven't," he informed sarcastically.

Isaac smiled, "It's the refuge plantation. Mr. Boyton buys the slaves that no one wants and brings them here."

"Really?" he asked suspiciously, "then why did he buy me?"

Isaac laughed, "You my boy would be too difficult to keep as a slave. You would be running away, not working the fields, doing all sorts of stuff. No master wants a slave that difficult. Not to mention, you seem pretty educated and no Master wants that either."

Serge informed, "I am a doctor."

Abby's eyes grew wide, "Really? You are a doctor?"

Serge nodded, "Yes."

Abby grinned, "Well, then you just what we need…An in-house doctor to care for the others."

He gasped, "Say what?"

"My father is a Judge, Lorenzo Boyton and he is part of the Underground Railroad. Have you heard of it? We are an access point but we are disguised as a Plantation. The others are all under my father's protection. You are safe here and we do need a doctor. Too many times we have sick and wounded slaves coming through here as they try to escape to Canada."

Serge looked about the small group of people and then up at Abby; he was befuddled for a moment but then started to comprehend what he had stumbled across.

"You mean to tell me this is a secret station for the Underground Railroad and you and your father runs it?" he asked.

She huffed, "My mother is half Negro," she stated, "She was a slave he bought in order to free her. They fell in love and had me. Do you really think I would be willing help enforce such a barbaric practice?"

"You fooled me," he informed. He looked at her, "I honestly never would have guessed that you guys were trying to save me. Why not just release me?"

"You would be hunted," she warned. "And since you're doctor and we desperately need you…We would like to stay and help us."

Serge looked about the pleading faces. He debated what to do.

"Can I just up and leave?" he asked.

"I won't force you to stay here," she nodded. "But the Underground could use a man like you."

Serge debated what to do. He could leave and risk being hunted as he found his way back to Rock Creek or stay and help smuggle slaves for the Underground Railroad. He pondered for a moment.

"If I stay, will get me all the medial equipment I need?" he asked.

"Anything," she agreed.

"Then I'll try to help," he agreed.

Abby smiled, "Good…Because if you leave my father would also demand you pay him back the money he spent on you. You weren't as cheap as I thought you would be."

Serge muttered to himself, "That makes me feel so much better."


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

**1937**

The air was thick that morning as the spectators gathered for the race. A purple haze had settled over the area in the oddest way. The airfield just outside of a little town called Rock Creek was abuzz with biplanes and newer mono-wing planes as the National Air Race came to town during the Golden area of air racing.

The days newspapers were all breaking a story, Amelia Earhart had gone missing over the Pacific Ocean during her attempt to fly around the world. It was heart breaking news for many, especially a young and impressionable teenage girl.

She sat on the grass by the wheel of the blue-body and yellow-wing painted open cockpit bi-plane. She was no more than seventeen. Her brown hair cut short, a leather aviator jacket was hanging from her small frame. Tears ran down her face as she feared the worst for her friend who was now missing and possibly dead.

Her father was a short man, about five-foot-eight with the same brown hair. He wore tan trousers and a matching shirt that in reality was a military uniform with insignia removed he purchased surplus. He walked up and sat beside her for he heard the news as well. He placed his arm around her.

"You think she's dead, Dad?" she finally asked.

He was sure of it but didn't want to give up all hope; he lied, "I'm sure she's fine and will show up safe and sound."

They sat silently for a moment.

She asked, "They gonna have the race today?"

"I think so," he nodded, "just as long as we don't get caught in a storm."

She sniffed, "I never seen fog like this before."

"Neither have I, Jackie," he mentioned.

She agreed, "It's very wired."

He nodded, "That it is." he kissed her forehead, "We need to get the plane ready, honey."

"I know," she agreed, "come up with me."

"Not feeling well enough to solo?" he asked concerned.

She nodded, "Not feeling well enough to solo this race, Dad."

"I'll co-pilot," he agreed.

**Half Hour Later**

The father and daughter racing team were airborne in the bi-plane. They both sported a leather aviator's cap and thick goggles as they flew through the air. The race was simple, flying a pylon course at 200 miles per hour and not crash. As they circles the town high above the air suddenly grew thicker and a very strange storm appeared.

The father sitting behind the daughter in the plane tapped her shoulder for she could not hear with all the wind. She looked back and he made a sign to land for the weather was just too horrible to race. She gave a nod and corrected her course to land on the field.

Landing took time as the other pilots were lined up to land on the field as well. One by one the planes came down until Jackie and her father were all that were left flying. They were now getting a little wet from a sprinkle and wanted to land faster.

She made another circle to line up for her landing with the storm intensified; strange colored lightening erupted around them. They were jolted for sure and then just as suddenly the storm was gone and skies were blue.

Her father looked down at the scenery from the rear seat and puckered in thought. The whole area looked very different, like an old western style town from the turn of the century. He tapped her shoulder once more. She looked back and he pointed down to his eyes and then down.

She looked down and then took a second look. Her mouth dropped as she tried to figure where they were.

**1860**

Teaspoon heard a very strange buzz from above. He went outside from his office and looked up only find a bi-plane circling the town. He scratched his head and could only assume the situation.

"I take it they found one of them there storms," he nodded to himself. "I hope this doesn't happen a lot." 

Will came out of the office, stood next to Teaspoon and spotted the plane. His mouth dropped.

"That's an old bi-plane," he gasped.

Teaspoon pointed, "That there plane looks like it's about to land."

Will's mouth dropped as he miffed, "What the hell is the government doing? An airplane? Now airplanes? What the hell?"

Teaspoon suggested, "What if they simply flew into a storm?"

"Oh god," sighed Will. "Could this get any worse?"

Teaspoon pondered the question and came to a startling conclusion; he replied, "If your government is playing with nature then Lord only knows what Mother Nature will do in reply."

They watched as the plane landed on the dry dusty area just outside of the main street. The whole town witnessed the flying machine and Teaspoon had no idea how he was going to hide this one. A plane! A plane just landed in his town. Luckily it was a bi-plane and not a sonic jet for he was sure he could not make up a cover story for such a device.

Jackie and her father brought the plane to a halt and shut down the engine. They climbed out of the plane and walked down the wing walk to the ground. They found a gathering of people around them.

The father looked over the crown and seemed very much like a western style town that he read about in books. He waved to them.

"Hi folks," he stated. "I'm Fred and this is my daughter, Jackie. We seem to have gotten off course somehow and are looking for Rock Creek. Anyone tell us how to get there? What direction to go?"

Kids naturally being much faster at running than adults got to the plane first. Tommy, the local newspaper boy who seemed to know what everyone was doing looked at the plane. It was nothing he had ever seen before.

Tommy hollered, "This is Rock Creek, mister. Where did get that there flying machine?"

Fred looked confused, "The plane?" he asked pointing to it.

A man from crown yelled, "It flies. We saw it…You got there a flying machine. Where did ya get that there from?"

"Um?" he looked at his daughter who had no idea what was going on.

"I have no idea, Dad," she shook her head.

Teaspoon and Will arrived on the scene and the first Teaspoon needed to do was disperse the crowd. He held up his hands as he got between the pilots and the townspeople.

"Alright, alright…There ain't nothing to see here," he told them hoping the people would believe it. At the same time he could not believe he was making such an obscene suggestion.

"Marshal," shouted another man, "That there is a flying machine."

Mr. Thompson was now going suspicious; he squinted and asked, "Marshal, what is going on? Ever since Frankie arrived we have had sort of strange happenings. First that thing rolled through town on its own power and now…A flying machine."

"I can explain," he assured them.

One woman asked, "Is Frankie cursed? Has she cursed the town?"

"Of course not, Ethel," rebutted Teaspoon. "It appears there was some sort of experiment going on and for some reason, a reason I cannot explain, whenever a very strange storm appears someone is sucked into our town. Now, I take it your two flew through a storm?" he addressed Jackie and Fred.

Fred nodded, "This really strange storm just engulfed us and next thing we know…We are here…Wherever that is."

"You're in Rock Creek," assured Will. "I need to ask you two more questions but privately."

"Okay," agreed Fred.

"In the meantime," stated Teaspoon, "We need to hide this here flying machine." He addressed the town, "We cannot allow word to get out that strange happens are happening here. You all cannot speak a word about this to anyone."

Thompson asked, "First a horseless carriage and now a flying machine? Are you serious?"

"I am," assured Teaspoon. "Not a word to anyone. I also need a barn large enough to store this here flying machine in."

No one volunteered their property for the flying machine was just too strange and yet very exciting at the same time.

Jackie asked, "Where are we, Marshal?"

Teaspoon informed, "You're in Rock Creek…Just not the Rock Creek you were looking for." He walked over to the pair and motioned them to come close. He then whispered, "You're in eighteen hundred and sixty."

The pilots traded glances and then looked at Teaspoon.

Fred asked, "You sure about that?"

"You are the third one from the future to come here. I spent a week in the future, I know this here is called a bi-plane and we don't have that here yet," he whispered back.

Jackie asked, "Can you help us get back?"

"I have no idea how to do that, miss," he informed. "You're government controls it."

She looked at her father, "Any time travel experiments I should know about, Dad?"

He shrugged, "None that I know about."

Teaspoon asked, "You work for your government?"

"I'm a colonel in the Army Air Corps," he informed. "My daughter and I race planes on the side.

"The two of you can stay at the station house but we need to hide this here flying machine," he informed.

Fred nodded and then turned and spoke to the crowd, "Anyone willing to let me store the plane in your barn gets an airplane ride!"

Will's hand went to his forehead and he shook in disbelief.

The crown all looked at one another for a second and then hands started to rise.

"You can store that there machine in my barn," offered another man.

Teaspoon did not want an airplane giving rides to his townspeople but needed the towns' cooperation. He agreed to allow the notion.

"Alright," stated Teaspoon, "But just one ride." He then turned to Fred, "You need to keep a low profile here or others out there will think you're some sort of devil and this whole town is cursed."

Fred asked, "What happens is they think that?"

Teaspoon warned, "They will burn the whole town down."

The pilot nodded wide eyed, "Just one ride."

"Good man," Teaspoon stated. He then turned to the town, "Alright, everyone go on back now."

The crowd stepped away but not that far away as they all looked on at the plane.

"Further back," instructed Teaspoon.

They stepped a few feet further back but going back to their businesses was going to be a challenge. Teaspoon shook his head and hoped nothing else would come through the time warping storm.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

In the saloon attached to the hotel the two kidnappers had found themselves a game of cards. The riders and Frankie all followed the suspects into the saloon. Katie the dog was under Kid's control and stayed by his feet.

The saloon looked like many others with a bar and tables set up for card games. It hosted the local prostitutes and show girls to entertain the men. As the observed the men, Lou found herself being hit on by the local girls who assumed she was a young virgin boy.

A tall brunette wearing a blue corset and short velvet skirt placed her arms around her; she asked, "You looking for some fun, honey? My, you are mighty cute."

"No ma'am," winced Lou embarrassed.

Kid whispered into the prostitute ear and she made a strange face and then suddenly left in disgust.

Lou huffed, "What did you tell her?"

He grinned, "That you like men."

"What?' she asked even more embarrassed.

He shrugged and smirked, "It's true…Ain't it?"

Lou tried to cover and smiled politely while secretly wanting to slap Kid.

Frankie winced as she observed the interaction and noted, "That's where I get my sense of humor from." She pondered, "Do I get my two left feet from him too?"

Jimmy was too concerned with the task at hand to pay much attention as he tried to gain access to the card game the kidnappers were playing.

"Mind if I join you fellas?" he asked.

Bruce huffed, "You got any money, boy?"

Jimmy placed his wages on the table.

Bruce gave a nod to let him in the game for he thought he would not only outsmart Jimmy but take his money as well.

As the other riders stood watching Ike had passed Frankie a note. She opened it up and read it to herself. Frankie had taught Ike short hand in recent weeks and Ike found her could use it to pass encrypted notes to Frankie.

She read it under her breath, "It amazes me how your very existence depends on the love-life of Lou and Kid. Sincerely, Ike."

She turned the note over and wrote back in shorthand, "Me too," and then handed it back to him.

Kid watched as Frankie and Ike started passing notes back and forth during the game. It intrigued him for he could not understand the notes himself. He recalled she also taught shorthand to Rachel and Kid just figured out a way to get encrypted letters to Teaspoon.

Jimmy spoke to the men at the table; he smiled kindly, "Morning gents." He noticed there was an empty chair, "I see you got an open spot. Mind if I invite a friend?"

"Who you got in mind?" Bruce asked suspicious.

Jimmy looked at Billy and gave a nod. The pair had been working on how to count card in the bunkhouse on their days off and suddenly the scheme was about to come into play.

Billy stepped up to the table and placed a stack of coins before the men; he tipped his hat and cocked a smile, "I wouldn't mind if I do."

Bruce asked, "And might I have the pleasure of your names boys? I just want to know whose money I will be taking today."

They glanced at one another, Billy stated, "I'm Buffalo Bill Cody and this is Wild Bill Hickok."

Bruce and the other gamblers all paused for a moment; he asked, "You're Hickok?"

Jimmy nodded.

The other kidnapper asked, "Is this your new sidekick, Hickok?"

"He's no side kick," stated Jimmy.

Frankie stood off the side and embellished the reputations and began, "I suppose you have heard of Wild Bill Hickok. Buffalo Bill here is a great hunter of buf…Bison and one of the best shots in the West. Wild Bill is a great gunfighter but Buffalo Bill is an even better hunter."

"And you are?" the kidnapper spouted.

Jimmy spoke on her behalf, "She's Calamity Jane. She got that name by scalping Indians."

Frankie looked at Buck who stood with the most disturbed look upon his face. She needed to make it work and tried to come up with an excuse.

"Him I scalped and then sewed it back on," she looked at Ike, "and I used his hair." She then added, "I also surgically removed his larynx…That's your voice box…He was rude to me." She held up a small doctor's bag and added, "I also do circumcisions."

Jimmy tried very hard not to laugh for Frankie was playing right along. He wanted to get the men anxious; to psychic them out a bit and let their guard down to gain information. Frankie's claim worked perfectly.

"Shall we boys?" asked Jimmy as he held gathered his cards. He looked up and grinned at Frankie.

A chubby middle aged man at the table leaned closer to Jimmy and asked, "Is what she says true?"

He nodded, "She's my wife."

His eyes grew wide, "I feel sorry for you, mister."

Jimmy replied, "She's is a pistol for sure. And she shoots pretty damn straight too." He looked at Bruce and mentioned, "It was mighty kindly of you not to strike my wife earlier…Or I would have to shoot ya…Nothing personal…You know how it is."

"I appreciate your understanding, Mister Hickok," he gulped wondering if the gunfighter he had been hearing so much about lately really was sitting next to him. "Shall we play?" he ased.

Jimmy grinned, "I thought you'd never ask," as he held up his cards.

**Meanwhile**

Teaspoon now had to deal with two pilots who just flew into Rock Creek. He hoped the mysterious storm would come and take them back home but no such luck and he now had to deal with another calamity of the government's doing.

Jackie and her father stayed in the house the previous night. They were from the thirties area which seemed to fit in with the town over all compared to the area Frankie, Will and Serge came from. Fred's shirt and trousers didn't stand out that much for he wore tan army surplus and Jackie's attire was the same but hung from her boney frame as it was simply too big for her growing body.

Rachel and Teaspoon hosted breakfast for the pair in the bunkhouse while Will kept the town under control for now doubt word could spread fast about the pilots.

Rachel sat at the table and sipped her coffee as she asked, "Where exactly are you two from?"

"All over," stated Fred. "I'm military and my daughter goes where I go."

Rachel asked, "I'm sure her mother might not take kindly to that."

Jackie informed, "My mother died when I was six years old. My father and I are all we got. Right now we're station in Texas." She then corrected, "We will be stations in Texas in nineteen thirty-seven." She then added, "Of course, I'll be ninety-four the time we catch up to nineteen thirty-seven."

Fred huffed, "I don't know what ass-backward experiment caused this but I do know you can figure it out," he smirked at her.

She shook her head, "Don't know about that one, Dad."

Fred bolstered to his host, "My daughter is a genius. She a mathematical wizard and can navigate blindfolded."

Teaspoon pondered, "You know much about science? We have a doctor from the future here but she don't know much about something called 'quantum physics.'"

"Quantum physics is a new field," she replied. "I know a little about it but not much. What kind of doctor is she?"

"Medical doctor," replied Teaspoon. "She's from the year of our Lord two thousand and fourteen."

Fred scoffed, "That's even further out than we are. That storm brought her too?"

"It did," Teaspoon nodded, "it also brought her brother, William and her friend, Serge a week after we she came back with us. We know there is some sort of government experiment but we don't know how it works or how to control it."

Jackie asked her father, "Why would the government be interested in time travel?"

He shook his head, "We're not…We're interested in controlling weather patterns and weather modifications. This thing came in the form of a strange storm? My guess is they tried to control the weather and this is a side effect."

Jackie huffed, "Don't the Brass know how dangerous this could be?"

Fred retorted, "Do you realize what kind of weapon this would make?"

She sat and paused as shivers ran down her spine.

"Marshal," Jackie offered, "I will help in anyways I can. Where is this doctor from the future?"

He explained, "Her friend, Serge is missing and they are our looking for him."

"Who is 'they?'" asked Fred.

"The other riders," he explained, "This here is the Pony Express Way Station for Rock Creek."

The pair traded glances.

Fred asked, "Anyone famous live here?"

"William F. Cody and James Butler Hickok," replied Teaspoon.

Jackie asked, "Do they know they become famous?"

Teaspoon gave a nod, "We spent a week in the future. However, we believe that Wild Bill Hickok was based on two different men and another man that I met the other day is the James Butler Hickok from the history books. My deputy figured that one out."

Jackie placed her head down her hands and shook regrettable, "You spent a week in the future? Do you realize the paradoxes that could open?"

Teaspoon pondered, "Is that bad?"

She nodded, "Very."

He seemed confused for a moment.

She explained, "Let's say you went back in time and met your grandfather and accidentally got him killed. You now will not be born and have jeopardized your own life."

Fred pondered the proposal, "But," he retorted, "if you got back and kill of your grandpa so you are never born, then how do you go back and get him killed in the first place?"

Jackie huffed, "I don't know…It's a theory." She looked at Teaspoon and asked, "Did this doctor meet anyone that she is related to…Like a grandfather or grandmother?"

Teaspoon nodded, "Two of my riders are her grandparents."

Jackie placed her head in her hands again and sighed, "Oh my god…She has placed her life in danger."

"They are aware of who she is," stated Teaspoon.

Jackie huffed, "She is interacting with them and any number of things could go wrong. What if she accidentally gets one of them killed? She's dead if that happens."

Rachel pondered, "What would happen if she accidentally breaks them up and prevents their eventual marriage?"

"She's dead," she nodded. "Anything can happen when world's collide like this. I have no idea if I can get a handle on this but we need to try."

"I appreciate that," replied Teaspoon.

Rachel looked nervously, "I hope Frankie will be okay."

"I'm sure she will," agreed Teaspoon.


End file.
